Read the government’s findings here

HOUSTON – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on Wednesday calling for double masking in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The report said that double masking – a combination of a cloth mask and a mask for medical procedures – blocked 92.5% of coughing particles.

The report also stressed the importance of improving the fit of masks for medical procedures by double masking, tying ear loops, and tucking and flattening the extra material close to the face.

“Each change significantly improved source control and reduced wearer exposure,” the report said.

“These laboratory-based experiments underscore the importance of a good fit to maximize overall mask performance,” the report continues. “Medical procedure masks are intended to provide source control (eg, to maintain the sterility of a surgical field) and to block spatter. The extent to which they reduce exhalation and inhalation of particles in the aerosol size range varies considerably, in part because air can leak around their edges, especially through the side vents. The reduction in simulated inhalation exposure observed for the medical procedure mask in this report was lower than the reductions reported in studies of other medical procedure masks assessed under similar experimental conditions, likely due to significant air leakage around the edges of the mask used here. “

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Some limitations, such as the number of masks available in the market, facial hair and other factors, were mentioned in the report. Read it in full here.

The government report said that until immunity of the vaccine population is achieved, ‘universal masking’ is a very effective means of slowing the spread of the coronavirus in conjunction with physical distance, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor areas, and good hand hygiene.

“The data in this report underscores the finding that a good fit can increase the overall efficiency of the mask,” the report concludes. “Several simple ways to improve the fit have proven effective. Continuous innovative efforts to improve the fit of fabrics and masks for medical procedures to enhance their performance merit attention. “