Federal health officials on Wednesday urged Americans to consider wearing two masks as one of several strategies to better protect themselves against the threat of more contagious variants of the coronavirus.
Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See other free reports here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription. Federal health officials on Wednesday urged Americans to consider wearing two masks as one of several strategies to better protect themselves against the threat of more contagious variants of the coronavirus. « We know that universal masking works, » said John T. Brooks, medical officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 response. « And now these variants are circulating… whatever we can do to improve the fit of a mask to make it work better, the faster we can end this pandemic. » Two methods substantially boost fit and protection, according to a CDC report and guidance released Wednesday. One is wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask. The second is improving the fit of a single surgical mask by knotting the ear loops and tucking in the sides close to the face to prevent air from leaking out around the edges and to form a closer fit. Both of those methods reduced exposure to potentially infectious aerosols by more than 95% in a laboratory experiment using dummies, the report said. A year after the coronavirus’ arrival in the United States — with the death toll approaching 500,000 — the updated guidance stresses the importance of mask-wearing as one of the best defenses against more transmissible variants, along with social distancing, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces, and practicing frequent hand washing. The guidance comes at a potentially perilous moment as health officials race to vaccinate tens of millions of people to protect them from more transmissible and possibly more lethal variants, but remain hampered by a limited vaccine supply. It also represents a new administration’s effort to present clear instructions after mixed messaging and the politicization of masks have bewildered many Americans. Early last year, health officials did not urge their use because of concerns health workers would be unable to get them because of limited supply. It was also unclear then that people with no signs of illness were driving much of the virus’ spread. Even after health officials reversed course in early April and urged people to wear them, President Trump refused to do so and ridiculed those who did. In part as a result, many Americans still avoid them. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky acknowledged at a White House briefing Wednesday that some people may be « both tired of hearing about masks as well as tired of wearing them. » She noted that « masks can be cumbersome, they can be inconvenient. » Acknowledging the changing guidance since the start of the pandemic, Walensky said that knowledge about the virus has evolved over time.
