Double masking can get tricky. Here’s an easy way to do it right
Two masks can increase your protection against the coronavirus. Merely make sure you know the dos and don'ts.
As new, more than contagious variants of the novel coronavirus spread effectually the globe, public health officials are advising united states of america to upgrade our mask protection. One of the easiest ways to do that is to wear two masks at the same time. Here are answers to common questions about the dos and don'ts of double masking.
WHY DO I NEED TO DOUBLE MASK?
New variants of the coronavirus are more contagious. It may be that an infected person sheds greater quantities of virus, or information technology may exist that it takes fewer viral particles to make you lot ill. Either fashion, a more contagious virus means we need to wear masks that practise a amend chore of trapping infectious particles.
Double-masking can improve the fit of your mask past endmost gaps around the edges, and it creates multiple layers of protection confronting aerosol coming in or out.
READ: Going out? How to wear lipstick under a face mask without messing it up
Tin I Wear Two SURGICAL MASKS?
Wearing ii disposable surgical masks together is not recommended. A standard surgical mask is a blue, rectangle-shaped mask made of paper-similar material. While surgical masks are keen filters against viral aerosol, they tend to fit poorly, leaving gaps on the sides, which reduces their efficiency.
Wearing two at the same time doesn't solve the fit problem. Calculation a cloth mask on top of a surgical mask helps close the gaps and creates a more snug fit.
SHOULD I DOUBLE MASK WITH AN N95 OR KN95?
The N95 mask is the gold standard for medical masks, and the KN95, fabricated in Cathay, is similar. When worn correctly, both masks will filter 95 per cent of the hardest-to-trap particles. If you accept access to a genuine N95, KN95 and it fits well, you don't need to double mask.
The trouble is that the N95 and KN95 masks still are hard to come by, and the supply chain is loaded with counterfeits. While the Centers for Illness Command and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend double-masking with an N95 or KN95, you need to exist sure y'all have the real thing.
If yous're not sure, or information technology doesn't fit well, covering information technology with a cloth mask could help. (Another highly constructive medical mask is the KF94, made in Korea. Counterfeits typically are non a problem with KF94s, and if it fits yous well, you don't need to double mask.)
IF I'Chiliad DOUBLE-MASKING, WHY DO I NEED TO KNOT AND TUCK MY SURGICAL MASK?
The best way to double mask is to clothing a surgical mask as the kickoff layer and cover it with a material mask.
Tightening your surgical mask is non required, but if it fits poorly, knotting the ear loops and tucking in the corners can improve its filtering efficiency by as much as 20 per cent.
For a longer sit-in on adjusting the fit of your surgical mask, you tin can scout this video from UNC Health.
WHAT'S THE Best WAY TO Cheque FOR LEAKS?
The CDC recommends a uncomplicated method: Just cup your easily effectually the edges of your mask and exhale. If you feel air escaping around the edges, you'll want to tighten your nose span and ear loops or cull a cloth mask with more flexible material that gives you a amend fit.
"If the mask has a practiced fit, you will experience warm air come through the front end of the mask and may be able to see the mask material move in and out with each breath," notes the CDC.
Another style to check for leaks is to press your hands around the edges of the mask and breathe. This is how Linsey Marr, an expert in virus transmission at Virginia Tech, checks her ain mask.
"I have been testing fit by putting on the mask, and and so cupping my hands around my olfactory organ and oral cavity and pressing confronting the sides to come across if it makes a divergence in how piece of cake it is to exhale through," she says.
"If there'southward a big departure with versus without the hands property down the edges, that means it leaks."
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IS THE 'CANDLE Exam' AN Constructive WAY TO CHECK FOR LEAKS?
A lot of people inquire about the candle test, only it's not recommended. The idea backside the candle test is that yous try to blow out a candle while wearing your mask. If y'all tin can't accident out the flame, some people recall that means your mask doesn't leak.
Merely V Faye McNeill, a professor of chemic engineering at Columbia University, who focuses on aerosol particles, conducted her own candle exam with diverse masks. She establish that fifty-fifty poor-fitting, single layer material masks passed the test, then it's not a useful method for evaluating the fit or quality of a mask.
"My determination: The candle test isn't a very high standard for masks," she explained in a Twitter thread.
By Tara Parker-Pope and Dani Blum © The New York Times
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/commodity/double-masking-tips-coronavirus.html
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/wellness/how-to-double-mask-correctly-180061
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