The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its mask orientation on Wednesday to include data from a recent laboratory experiment that found that putting a cloth mask over a surgical mask, as well as wearing a properly fitted mask, was effective in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
The update, which was announced by CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky during a coronavirus briefing at the White House, comes after a laboratory experiment using simulated breaths that found that putting a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask or wearing a medical procedure mask with looped ear loops and folded to the sides decreased exposure to potentially infectious aerosols by about 95%.
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The new guideline recommends taking two important steps, namely, making sure that the mask fits perfectly on the face and choosing a layered mask to “keep respiratory droplets inside and others outside”. In addition, the CDC recommends the use of a mask with a nasal thread, a mask adjuster or brace to improve the fit and check that there are no gaps where air can flow.
However, at the moment, the agency advises against using two disposable masks, as they “are not designed to fit well and using more than one does not improve the fit”. It also does not recommend combining a KN95 mask with any other mask.
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“The main point is this, the masks work and work best when they have a good fit and are used correctly,” said Walensky.
The CDC announced several weeks ago that it was studying whether the use of two masks was effective in preventing the spread of the coronavirus after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, said that doing so “makes sense”.
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The agency was hoping to see “hard data” before making any adjustments, said Dr. John Brooks, CDC’s chief medical officer for COVID-19’s response, during a final conference by the Infectious Diseases Society of America held at the end last month.
“We want to put out there all the options that are available to people,” he said at the time. “If we can get people to mask the period, this is the big first step.”