Vaccines may be essential for an end to the pandemic, but masks remain one of our best individual weapons against the coronavirus.
As new infectious variants spread across the United States, public health experts emphasize the importance of ensuring that the masks are multilayered and hermetically sealed.
Conclusion: “You really want to protect your eyes, nose and mouth from other people’s airspace,” said Dr. Alice Sato, an epidemiologist at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, to Insider.
But not all masks are designed with the same level of protection in mind.
On Wednesday, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described five useful tricks to make masks more protective.
Most tips involve basic surgical masks, which studies have shown to be highly effective in blocking respiratory droplets and smaller airborne particles called aerosols – when used properly.