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The spread of SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus that cause Covid-19,  is so extreme, that it made compulsion to everyone to wear mask, to prevent its transmission from one to another. With the second wave of Covid-19, people are more scared and so started wearing double mask.  

Double masking has been seeking attention and even the Centres of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised for double masking. They also said that using double mask is a good way to protect yourself against novel coronavirus. 

What is double masking?

Recently, it is been seen that people and healthcare are wearing double mask i.e. two face masks instead of one. This can be done for two reasons.

According to the study, wearing a mass can reduce the transmission of the infection. On the other hand, double masking will increase the strength of protection from transmission. It was found in research, when an individual wore one mask, it blocked 40% of the particles and when wore two mask, it blocked 80% of transmission of particles. 

How to wear double mask

To get the potential benefits of wearing two mask, here are some tips to get started.

• Use the proper mask combination: The CDC recommends wearing a fitted cloth mask over a surgical mask, reduced the transmission rate by good percentage. 
• Avoid other mask combinations: Some mask combinations may not be fitted properly or may make it difficult to breathe. Avoid combinations like:
• Avoid two surgical masks
• Avoid two disposable mask
• KN95 and any other type of mask of similar kind
• N95 and any other type of mask of similar kind

Check the following things while wearing double mask before using it in public place, like

• Test at home first. 
• Fitness of the mask. 
• Proper Breathing and Vision. 

When to wear Double Mask and who should wear it.

While double masking shows many benefits, but it is really hard to wear 2 mask at a time. Healthcare workers, sanitation workers, essential staff, who are in contact with a lot of people on a daily basis should wear two masks. Double mask can be beneficial if you’re:

• Going for shopping
• Visiting the doctor
• Traveling through aeroplane, train, or public transportation
• Crowded areas and places with poor ventilation. 

Takeaway

Double masking is when you wear one mask on top of another, which add on the effectiveness of mask and thus gives more improvement in filtration of the particles.  According to CDC study, double masking is very effective at preventing exposure to aerosols made by coughing and breathing.

Before wearing double mask, one should be careful before wearing it. It is also important to choose the proper combination of two mask, as wrong mask combination will increase the breathing problem.  

As mentioned above, double masking is beneficial but it doesn’t mean that single mask doesn’t give protection from the virus. Single mask of good quality and better fitness will also give good protection

In addition to wearing a mask, it’s important to practice other preventative methods as well, such as handwashing, sanitization and physical distancing. These preventive measures are important to reduce the transmission of the virus.