Double mask for COVID-19: Why Fauci recommends using two masks at once

The most recent recommendation to slow down and stop the spread of COVID-19: double mask. Dr. Anthony Fauci endorses double masking, the practice of wearing two face masks, because it “makes sense,” the president’s chief medical consultant told NBC News’ Today.

He’s not wrong. Because layer masks reduce the porosity of your face cover, it’s more likely to do a better job of protecting you from infectious respiratory droplets – just like layered jackets protect you from the cold, and just like an N95 (which is less porous) has a better chance of protecting you from environmental smoke while a cloth mask (more porous) doesn’t stand a chance.

It is not just common sense, however. The concept of a double mask is supported by some scientific studies, and no, wearing two masks will not suffocate you. Here’s what you should know about using two masks to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The science behind the double mask

Dr. Fauci’s recommendation comes in light of new strains of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, which are considered more transmissible than the primary SARS-CoV-2 strain.

“With a more transmissible virus, this means that each exposure increases the likelihood of it spreading,” says Andrea Love, an immunologist and microbiologist. “We must be more rigorous with our behaviors now, including social distance, minimizing trips to public places, avoiding closed spaces and always wearing a mask”.

“But any mask is not enough”, emphasizes Love. “Quality is important.”

The masks work by trapping and blocking respiratory droplets that contain virus particles, explains Love. “The more physical barriers implemented, the more of these drops you can block, thereby reducing the risk for you and others around you,” she says. Ideally, the more layers the better, especially if you are using a thin cloth cover for face. Even if you wear surgical masks, which usually already have two thin layers, you can still benefit from duplication, says Love.

It is important to understand that cloth masks, like those used routinely by most people, were intended to be a temporary measure, says Love. Many facial fabric covers offer little or no protection, she says, depending on the material, the number of layers and the fit, which is why health experts recommend applying layers.

In fact, three layers is really better: a recent study (not yet peer-reviewed) tested 11 mask materials and found that masks are most protective when they have three layers, two layers of fabric tightly interwoven with a non-woven filter material high efficiency sandwiched in the middle. If you don’t already have a three-layer mask, you can mimic it using a cloth mask and a surgical mask – more on that is below.

When to use two masks

If you’re walking outdoors and aren’t around people outside your home, a single mask should be enough, says Love. If you plan to be around people who are not at home, however, even outdoors, “a simple solution is to wear a double mask”.

Will wearing two masks make breathing difficult?

Wearing two masks shouldn’t make breathing difficult, says Love. Several studies have shown that wearing masks does not prevent oxygen consumption (even in adults over 65). “The size of an oxygen molecule is much smaller than the size of the mask pores,” says Love, but the problem is that “many people don’t realize the difference between discomfort and a real physiological effect.”

Even with two face masks, you can still get the oxygen you need and dissipate your body’s carbon dioxide. Two masks may not look comfortable at first, but it is still safe to use them.

Of course, it may take some getting used to, especially if you wear two masks while exercising. You can sweat more than usual as the weather warms up. But a little discomfort is much better than hiring COVID-19 or being responsible for spreading it.

How to make the double mask correctly

Simply using a cloth mask over the other can improve the protection of the face covering, but a different combination can help more.

If you wear a tissue mask over a surgical mask, you can mimic the combination of filter tissue considered most protective in studies. The surgical mask acts as a filter and the tissue mask provides an additional layer of protection while improving the fit, says Love. If your two masks fit well, this combination “should produce an overall efficiency of more than 90% for particles of 1 micron and larger, which corresponds to the average size of the respiratory aerosols that are most important in mediating the transmission of SARS-CoV -two.”

As Dr. Fauci said today, “If you have physical coverage with one layer, you add another layer, it makes sense that it is probably more effective.”

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended for medical or health advice. Always consult a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.