Does wearing double face masks can protect you more?

Most office goers are in dilemma- to wear or not to wear face masks. On one hand, OSHA has clearly recommended employers ask workers to wear face masks and face coverings whenever at work. And on another hand, the CDC initially discouraged all people from wearing masks, and reversed the saying in early April to “everyone should wear a mask at all times”. With so much of a pandemic going on, information is not-so-realistic. So, commoners, as well as frontline workers, tend to buy a lot of face masks online to stay abreast of the ongoing situation.

A face mask is used to protect you from tiny bits of saliva or mucus while the other person is:

1. Singing
2. Talking
3. Laughing
4. Breathing
5. Shouting
6. Coughing
7. Sneezing

Sometimes the COVID-19 symptoms fail to show, either due to a good immune system or due to a heavy intake of medicines that cause heat in the body. In that case, if you wear a face mask then your symptoms are not going to affect others surrounding you.

What happens if you wear two masks at once?

The purpose of wearing a face mask is to protect others from getting infected by you. But if you tend to wear two masks instead of one, it offers better protection.

• The Coughing simulation: Researchers discovered that 85.4 per cent of the aerosol particles were prevented by the double mask when a coughing simulation was performed. This contrasts with the surgical mask's 56.1 per cent and the fabric mask's 51.4 per cent, respectively.
• The breathing simulation: The recipient's exposure to aerosols was cut in half (82.2%) when the source wore a double mask but not the recipient. And the recipient's aerosol exposure was cut in half by 83 per cent when they were both wearing double masks but the source wasn't. There was another case when aerosol exposure was reduced by 96.4 per cent when the source and the recipient both wore double masks.

Taking effective prophylactic measures is more crucial than ever due to the increase in transmissible variations. To stop the spread of variations from one person to another, different measures must be taken.

What is the best face masks online?

It is better to go for a disposable type rather than pick up a respirator. There are millions of frontline workers who are exposed to zillions of germs every day. It is necessary for them to accumulate as many respirators as possible. And for the commoners, the best disposable face masks are:

• Surgical masks: The surgical masks that surgeons, doctors, and nurses use are ASTM-compliant. They are classified as level 1, level 2, or level 3. The mask provides greater protection against COVID-19-carrying airborne droplets the higher the level. Purchase only ASTM masks that have the FXX medical device code. This indicates that they are authentic and have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
• KN95 and FFP-2 masks: It provides defence comparable to N95 masks. Buy masks only from companies that are recognised by the FDA. This aids in ensuring that you receive the necessary protection.