After months of requests for federal health officials to update mask recommendations, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday announced new guidelines that include wearing well-fitting face masks or two masks at a time to help reduce COVID-19 pandemic.
The updated guide follows the launch of new research by the CDC, which tested various masks in a laboratory setting and found evidence that combining a cloth mask over a surgical mask could dramatically reduce both the spread of the virus to others and exposure to the virus. himself.
The new CDC recommendations advise Americans to select masks with a nose wire that can be adjusted for a comfortable fit and to use a mask fastener or straps to better seal their masks. The CDC also recommends wearing a multi-layered mask for added protection or putting a cloth mask over a disposable medical mask.
For a better fit, it is recommended to knot the ear loops of the disposable mask and then to clog and flatten the extra material on the sides.
The CDC says it does not recommend wearing two disposable masks at once. And he says you don’t need to cover another mask with a KN95 mask, the commonly used alternative to professional quality N95 masks used by health workers and first responders.
“I want to be clear that this new scientific data released today does not change the specific recommendations on who should wear a mask or when they should wear one. But it does provide new information about why wearing a good mask is so important. “CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at a COVID-19 White House briefing.
For the new study, CDC researchers tested multi-layered cloth combinations and common surgical or medical masks in a lab, simulating breathing and coughing between pairs of mannequins.
When only a disposable mask was worn, only 42% of cough drops were blocked in the experiment. Combining the disposable mask with a cloth mask on top blocked 92.5% of the particles expelled from the cough.
The combination of the two masks also reduced the user’s “cumulative exposure” by 83% of the drops spread by an unmasked source, the study reported. This number increased to 96.4% if both mannequins were equipped with double masks.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
“The data in this report highlights the finding that a good fit can increase the overall efficiency of the mask. It has been shown that several simple ways to improve fit are effective,” the researchers wrote.
The new research comes after months of pleas by CDC lawyers to update their guidelines to include the recommendation to wear two masks, after other studies and anecdotal evidence suggested that the move could reduce the spread of the virus. Senior officials of the agency refused to change their official recommendations until the completion of this new investigation, although many – from President Biden to Dr. Anthony Fauci – He had already been seen wearing two masks.
Getty Images
In other countries, a handful of health authorities have urged citizens to move away from cloth masks in favor of disposable, highly filtered masks. The German government has mandated “medical masks”, such as surgical masks or KN95, in public transport and shops last month.
CDC announcement comes amid fears of potential increase in new cases due to infections virus variants are now circulating in the United States. The agency previously predicted the rapidly spreading strain B.1.1.7 of the virus, which was first identified in the UK last autumn, could become the dominant strain here by March.
“We should not despair of this, because there are things we can do to prevent this. It is not beyond our power to do this,” Dr Fauci, President Biden’s chief adviser, said in response to pandemic.
Contact tracking of previous cases of virus variants in the United States has shown that its spread has been fueled by people who simply do not wear masks and do not hold meetings in person, the CDC said.
“The two things we can do are some of the things Dr. Walensky just mentioned: burning masks, avoiding assembly settings, keeping your distance, and washing your hands together when your vaccine is available, to vaccinate you, please”. Said Dr. Fauci.