How double masking helps to prevent COVID infection

The sheer unexpectedness of the rise in Covid-19 cases and death fatalities in India has caused a lot of distress and chaos. As the new variants of COVID-19 with higher infection rates are adding to the daily surge of positive cases, it is becoming more and more essential to adopt the most effective way and take every precaution possible to avoid getting infected. The recent studies by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute and Infectious Diseases suggested that COVID-19 exposure can be reduced by 96.4 per cent if everyone double-masked.

What is double masking?

It is a practice of wearing one face mask on another for added protection against coronavirus. The reason that double-masking works so well is not because of the additional layers of fabric and filtration, but because of the improved fit. Double-masking seals out any gaps that there might be present due to a bad fit. Surgical masks fit particularly well but a snug cloth mask on top of it ensures that there are no loose spots on your face.

So, how do you effectively double mask to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission? Here are the dos and don'ts.

DO:

•Combine a cloth mask and disposable surgical mask

• Use a cloth mask that has multiple layers of fabric.

• Wash the cloth mask daily after use in hot water

• Cover your nose, mouth and chin while wearing the mask.

• Sanitise your hands after removing the mask.

• Consider using mask braces or fitters to help improve the fit of any mask as it helps press the edges of the mask against your face, helping to reduce air and particle leakage.

• Use the "knot and tuck" method by knotting the ear loops of a 3-ply face mask where they join the edge of the mask, then fold and tuck the unneeded material under the edges. This helps to improve the fit of your paper mask.

• Choose a mask with a nose wire to help prevent air from leaking out. Nose wires can also help to prevent fogging of eyeglasses.

• Make sure you can see and breathe easily.

• Follow social distancing even while wearing a mask.

• Continue wearing your masks even if you are vaccinated.

DONT:

• Do not combine an N95 mask with another mask.

• Do not combine two disposable masks.

• Do not wear a wet mask.

• Do not touch your mask often.

• Do not remove your mask while speaking.

Wear your masks properly and stay safe!