Is it time to double-mask? How to up your masking game to protect against COVID-19 - MLive.com

As the coronavirus pandemic has played out, evidence has grown that masking is an easy, inexpensive and effective way to reduce transmission rates, experts say.

In fact, Dr. Abraar Karan, a physician at Harvard Medical School, recently told CNN that if everybody wore an N95 mask for four weeks in “risky” indoor settings, it “would stop the pandemic.”

That’s not possible right now: The global supply of N95 masks remains problematic enough that experts urge the general public not to buy them, saying they need to be reserved for first-responders and health-care workers who are around coronavirus patients.

That said, many experts say getting the public to wear higher-quality masks -- and wear them consistently and properly -- could help further reduce COVID-19 transmission rates, especially with the looming threat of new, more contagious variants.

Below are five things people should know about masking.

How much can masks reduce transmission rates?

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just announced research showing that transmission of the virus can be reduced by up to 96.5% if both an infected individual and an uninfected individual wear tightly fitted surgical masks or a cloth-and-surgical-mask combination.

Since last spring, studies have strengthened the case that mask use reduces coronavirus transmission, experts say. The CDC points to several studies that conclude wearing any mask can reduce coronavirus transmission by 70% to 80%.

“Multi-layer cloth masks can both block up to 50-70%” of the droplets that carry the virus, a CDC briefing paper said. “Upwards of 80% blockage has been achieved in human experiments that have measured blocking of all respiratory droplets, with cloth masks in some studies performing on par with surgical masks as barriers for source control.”

Dr. Liam Sullivan, a Grand Rapids infectious disease specialist with Spectrum Health, said it’s important to realize that masks are about risk reduction vs. risk elimination.

“One thing I want to emphasize: Nobody ever said a mask is 100% protective,” he said. “I hear people arguing against using a mask because it’s not perfect.

“There is no perfect mask,” he said. “There’s always room for potential exposure. But the idea is to substantially decrease shedding the virus into the air around you, and to substantially reduce your exposure to the virus, thus substantially decreasing your risk of infection and infecting others.”

What are the best masks available for the general public?

The best masks on the market are N95s, but as mentioned above, experts discourage their use by the general public. In addition to the shortage of N95 masks, the tight fit that makes them so effective also can make them hard to wear.

“I would not encourage the public to wear an N95 regularly because they’re just so uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time,” Sullivan said.

For the general public, the best mask that’s widely available is the KN95 mask, which is the Chinese version of the N95 mask.

“The KN95 masks are really, really good,” Sullivan said. “They are just a smidgen below the N95 as far as protection goes,” and a little more comfortable.

Disposable surgical masks also work well, Sullivan said. “They’re double- and triple-layered, and those layers are interwoven so there’s not much room for stuff to go in or out.”

Cloth masks also can be effective if they are multi-layered, Sullivan said, and he particularly recommends cloth masks that include a pocket to insert a filter.

“You can put something like a vacuum-cleaner filter in there, and that’s a really good thing to do because vacuum cleaner filters are phenomenally good at filtering viruses,” he said.

Should you double mask?

Double-masking isn’t necessary for those wearing a KN95 mask or surgical mask, although putting a single-layer cloth mask over a surgical mask can ensure a tighter fit and improve effectiveness.

Double-masking is definitely recommended when using single-layer cloth masks, experts say.

“If it’s single layer, you should absolutely double it up,” Sullivan said. “Cloth masks are more porous and there’s more ability for virus to escape if you’re infected, which is the most important reason for people to wear a mask.”

The importance of proper fit and usage.

The mask should lie closely on your face without big gaps. It shouldn’t cause your glasses to fog and should block out smells from the surrounding environment. If your mask is too loose, double masking may help close the gaps. Shortening the ear loops also can help.

It’s also important to have both your nose and mouth covered. The primary way the virus enters and exits the body is through the nose, so leaving the nose uncovered is akin to wearing no mask at all.

What masks should you avoid?

• Masks with exhalation vents or valves.
• Scarves or ski masks.
• Masks made from materials that make it hard to breath, such as plastic or leather.
• Masks that are knitted or made of loosely woven material.

Do you need to mask after you’ve been vaccinated?

Yes, at least for now.

The issue is this: The data is clear that the vaccine greatly reduces the risks of being hospitalized or dying of COVID-19. What is much less clear is whether the current vaccines protect against asymptomatic cases.

And if, in fact, vaccinated people can still be infected with the virus, that means they could infect others and put them at risk of severe illness or death.

“We have a pretty good confidence level that the vaccines prevent serious illness associated with COVID,” said Dr. Frank Rosenblat, an Oakland County infectious disease specialist with McLaren Health. “But we don’t know if people who are vaccinated can still transmit the virus to others. There’s no real data yet. We’re experiencing and collecting the data as we go.

“So I’m telling my patients to stay safe,” he said. “Continue to put a mask on and do all the things you were doing before with social distancing and all that stuff until we have some better data, which I’m pretty confident we’ll have in the coming months.”

Read more on MLive:

Hundreds of psychologists, physicians urge AAPS to offer in-person classes by March 1

Michigan students, struggling with online classes, saw more F’s on their report cards this year

Second dose of COVID-19 vaccine can produce more side effects than first shot, doctors say

For those now fully immunized against COVID-19, the rules haven’t changed - yet

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"time" - Google News
February 10, 2021 at 11:09PM
https://ift.tt/3q57e6G

Is it time to double-mask? How to up your masking game to protect against COVID-19 - MLive.com
"time" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3f5iuuC
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

Bagikan Berita Ini