From healthcare professionals to politicians, double masking is the latest trend in coronavirus. At a press conference on Wednesday, February 3, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Anthony Fauci, said that double masking could be a common-sense approach to mitigate the spread of COVID- 19. He added that he wears two masks in situations where he won’t be able to socially distance himself from other people enough. But does this mean that runners should consider wearing two masks during training?
Fauci said the CDC will continue to update the recommendations as more research is completed, but in the meantime, here’s what you need to know about the double mask, according to David Nieman, Dr.PH., professor of health at Appalachian State University and director of the Human Performance Laboratory on the North Carolina Research Campus, Brian Labus, Ph.D., MPH, assistant professor at the University of Nevada School of Public Health in Las Vegas, and Matt Ferrari Ph. D., associate professor of biology at Eberly College of Science, and a researcher at the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics in Penn State.
Why are people wearing a double mask?
First, the focus is still on using high quality masks that will protect the user and others, explains Ferrari. This means that it is important to find a mask with good filtering material and a suitable fit. The mask should cover the nose and mouth and fit the face perfectly, without gaps. (Get more useful tips on using the CDC mask here.)
“Two masks can be the way to do this, but a really good mask, say a KN95, can still be better than two single-layer gaiters,” says Ferrari.
For context, a N95 respirator, the US standard that should be reserved for healthcare professionals, and the KN95 mask, the China standard, filter 95% of aerosols and protect the user better than a single layer fabric mask. .
“What we usually talk about is the double mask is to fold the fabric masks to increase filtration,” says Labus. But the caveat is that both masks must fit correctly.
And adding a less effective fabric mask over an N95 or KN95 mask will not provide much additional protection. However, medical professionals sometimes do this to help extend the life of the masks, as PPE is scarce.
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When can double masking be necessary?
Wearing a tight-fitting mask (or two) can be especially important to protect others and yourself if you are in an environment where people are close to each other or breathing heavily, like a gym.
“If you are an athlete and are going to be with other people at home, I highly recommend double masking,” says Nieman.
Currently, the CDC suggests that you use masks with two or more layers of washable and breathable fabric and avoid wearing ones intended for healthcare professionals, such as N95 or surgical masks. However, there is no problem in choosing a KN95, because US health professionals do not wear this mask, explains Nieman.
“It gets old to say that, but if you can afford to avoid configurations where you need a double mask – indoors, poorly ventilated, crowded – avoiding these configurations is better than two, three or four masks,” he says Ferrari.
For runners, this may mean avoiding a crowded gym and instead choose to run outdoors, where there is plenty of space to distance yourself or set up a gym at home.
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However, if you cannot avoid indoor environments with other people (say, to work or care for other people), double masking can provide extra protection to reduce risk in high-density indoor environments.
What is the best way to make a double mask?
“As with a single mask, it is about having a good fit to your face”, explains Labus. Make sure your mask or masks cover from top of the nose to below the chin, and that air is not escaping from the sides.
“In addition to the extra filtration provided by the second mask, [doubling] it can also allow the mask to better fit the face, covering all the gaps in the first mask ”, says Labus.
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But two masks are not necessarily better than a good one. In fact, the healthcare industry has shown that a well-fitting, high-quality mask can be very effective, says Ferrari. And, leakage tends to be a problem with masks, so even if you use two masks, if they don’t fit well, they won’t be effective in protecting others, says Nieman.
What is the best mask to wear during training?
It all depends on what the masks are made of. Masks like N95 or KN95 are designed to filter out particles much smaller than a fabric mask and require more effort to breathe. So even if you’re using a single high-filtration mask, it probably won’t work during intense exercise, because when you start to sweat, breathing will become more difficult.
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It also depends on the type of exercise you are doing. If you’re lifting weights and don’t expect to run out of breath as you would when taking breaks on the treadmill, a KN95 and a cloth mask or two cloth masks can work very well, says Nieman. But, once you start to sweat and breathe harder, it can get complicated.
Nieman recommends finding a mask with at least double fold with tightly woven fabric or made especially for exercise, such as Under Armor Sportsmask, which is used in his laboratory during testing.
“Try to focus on exercises and activities where the mask is not the limiting factor. Outdoors and at a distance is better for everyone, ”says Ferrari. This can mean being creative with your workouts if you live in a cold climate or try other socially distant cross-training activities, such as Nordic skiing.
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The end result: Remember that the CDC has not yet changed its recommendations and still recommends a single fabric mask with at least two layers. Although some are starting to wear two, it is still okay to wear a single mask, says Labus. This second mask may provide some extra protection, but wearing any mask is much, much better than wearing none.
“If you’re around other people, or running with friends, wear a mask. If you have to do internal exercises with other people at the gym, make sure you are masked with the best filtering and adjusting mask (s) you have, ”says Ferrari.
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