On Jan. 26, 2021, Anthony Fauci, who is the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden on COVID-19, and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that wearing two masks is better than one when it comes to the warding off of the coronavirus, especially the new variant.
“If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective,” said Fauci, “And that’s the reason why you see people either double masking or doing a version of an N95.”
Three new, highly contagious mutations of coronavirus with origins in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa are circulating the world, upping the stakes in the battle to stanch a pandemic that has already claimed the lives of many.
This has led some public health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, to recommend layering up on masks or opting for a more protective N95 mask when going out in public.
Anthony Fauci explained that “Masks cover the mouth and nose to limit respiratory droplets and virus particles from getting in or out”
“So if you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective and that’s the reason why you see people either double masking or doing a version of an N95,” he added.
Dr. Matthew Sims, an infectious disease specialist at Beaumont Health, also agreed with Mr. Fauci’s idea. He said it’s a strategy people should consider, especially given the rate at which these newer, more transmissible variants appear to spread.
“The idea with double masking … is that if the three layers in your surgical mask are good, put on three more layers, it holds it tighter to your face, and that’s better,” Sims said. “And it probably is because it’s just more filtration.”
According to research published in the journal Matters in support of the theory added that finding that when a nylon layer is worn over a surgical-style mask, it improves the fit and effectiveness of filtration of virus particles from a range of 53%-75% to up to 90%.
Alice Sato, MD, an epidemiologist at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, NE, also said “Double layering is adding extra filtration, but a lot of the benefit also comes in making sure you are covering those gaps around the mask, because not every mask you put on fits equally,”
