Should I Wear Two Face Masks?
Spencer Lee23 Mar 2021
Should I wear two face masks? It depends on what mask you're wearing
|Doubling-up on regular face coverings such as cloth masks and regular surgical masks can be just as effective as wearing an N95
|Making sure your mask conforms to your face tightly is important.
|How much longer do I have to wear a mask?
|Quick Digest
- Widespread mask-wearing is still among the best opportunities to slow the spread of Covid-19. From physics to epidemiology, the data that supports this claim spans several fields of research and suggests that mask-wearing is in some instances more than 79% effective at blocking transmission from infected individuals to close contacts.
- Wearing two face masks could be a great option as an extra layer of protection to keep you safe in the midst of this pandemic. While double masking is not for everyone, it is certainly something to consider if you have thin or flimsy face coverings.
- The more layers that cover your face, the more efficient your face coverings will be at protecting you from Covid-19. While increasing layers of face coverings may risk making it too hard to breathe, there exists plenty of breathing room before doubling up approaches become that extreme.
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Spencer is a Public Health & Biology undergraduate student at New York University.