CDC Says Two Masks Are Better Than One

Does Wearing Two Masks Increase Protection Against New Strains Of The Virus? CDC Now Recommends it.

William Brangham Demonstrated double Masking On PBS Newshour Earlier

CDC Advises Double Masks Cut Transmission Of COVID Over 95%

When Dr Fauci warned that the new COVID-19 virus mutation not only spread more easily but may be more deadly,  he also suggested that people start wearing two masks. Many of us had already gotten the idea from pictures of public figures "double masking." The problem is that the best masks, which are called N95 masks, are in short supply. Some of us have had these masks around for years in our shops for woodworking projects, but you can't buy them any more at hardware stores.

This has made a market for people to make all sorts of masks made of all sorts of materials. How to select a good mask has become a frequent question on the state of Alaska’s Wednesday health forum, but the answers given there are very scientific and not always practical.

So the other day, when Dr. Fauci blurted out the advice to use more than one mask, people stood up and noticed. Apparently CDC also took notice and issued a press release saying it's best to wear a cloth mask over a surgical mask.

The video below from Thursday's PBS Newshour shows exactly why two masks are a good idea. First, they suggest you put on a 3 layer pleated "blue" mask that you can buy almost anywhere. The problem with these (for most people) is they don’t fit very well and leave gaps. So, for better protection you put a second, larger, but tight fitting, cloth mask on top. The only caution is to make sure you can still breathe easily and to make sure that the second mask doesn't create more gaps.

Fitting with no gaps is everything.

Here is William Brangham's Demonstration:

From PBS Newshour Thursday Night, January 28th