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According to health officials, wearing any mask will reduce the risk of contracting or spreading the virus, but more tightly fitted surgical masks, or double-masking can vastly improve protection for both the wearer and others.
New research found that transmission of the virus can be reduced by up to 96.5 percent if tightly-fitted surgical masks or a combination of fitted surgical masks with a cloth covering are worn, officials said.
Rochelle Walensky, the new director of the CDC announced the new findings this week during the latest White House COVID-19 briefing while reiterating President Joe Biden’s plea to have Americans wear masks during his first 100 days in office.
“With cases, hospitalizations and deaths still very high, now is not the time to roll back mask requirements,” she said. “The bottom line is this: masks work and they work when they have a good fit and are worn correctly.”
The CDC said that one way to fight surgical masks on more tightly could be by “knotting and tucking” the two strands of the ear loops together where they attach to the edge of the mask, then folding and flattening the extra fabric at the mask’s edge and tucking it in for a tighter seal."
“Any mask is better than none,” Dr. John Brooks, lead author of the CDC study stated. “There are substantial and compelling data that wearing a mask reduces spread, and in communities that adopt mask-wearing, new infections go down.”
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