CDC Recommends Double-Masking: Cloth over Surgical Masks Protect From More Contagious COVID Variants

Considering the emergence of more contagious COVID-19 variant strains, the absolute best way to protect against infection is to wear two masks: a cloth mask over a surgical mask, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Wednesday.

   Wearing cloth masks over surgical masks substantially improves protection against coronavirus infection and mitigates its spread, the CDC and public health experts agree, 

U.S. News and World Report.

    Wearing cloth masks that snugly fit over noses and mouths over surgical masks could reduce the wearers’ exposure to aerosols by more than 90%, researchers say. 

  The CDC’s study showed that when cloth masks are worn over surgical masks, 92.5% of others’ cough particles were blocked. Additionally, when people who were coughing were also double-masked, their cumulative exposure by other people was reduced by 82.2%.

    Exposure was further reduced, researchers say, when everyone was wearing both cloth and surgical masks: both the people who cough and the people who received others’ aerosols.

    "The data in this report underscore the finding that good fit can increase overall mask efficiency,” researchers said. “Multiple simple ways to improve fit have been demonstrated to be effective. Continued innovative efforts to improve the fit of cloth and medical procedure masks to enhance their performance merit attention.”