CDC Says New Data Shows Double Masking May Better Prevent Spread of Virus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, known as the CDC, states that recent data shows that wearing two masks can help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and the new more contagious variants of the virus.

On Wednesday, the CDC announced that recent experiments conducted in the CDC’s laboratories demonstrated that wearing a cloth mask on top of a surgical mask provided more protection than just wearing one mask. In fact, the experiment showed that double masking blocked more than 95 percent of virus particles, according to the CDC’s Dr. John Brooks.

Wearing one mask, either surgical or cloth, only blocked about 40 percent of the particles, according to the CDC’s experiment. Another scenario featured two artificial heads with one wearing one mask and another wearing a cloth mask on top of a surgical mask, which was 80 percent effective in preventing the spread of the virus for the head wearing two masks.

The study did have limitations as it only used one brand of surgical masks and one brand of cloth masks. It is unclear if different brands of masks would have different results.

The first goal is to get more people to wear masks and then to get them to get the most benefits from wearing that mask, Dr. Brooks noted. The CDC is also updating its guidance to double masking. If worn currently, a cloth mask worn on top of a surgical mask could prevent more particles from getting in.

Only Half of Americans Wear Masks in Public

Although there are more mask mandates, many Americans still do not wear masks in public. A study by the University of California showed that only about half of adults in the United States wear masks when in close contact with people outside of their household. It is important that we address using higher quality masks and discuss double-masking, said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious scientist and the University of Toronto.

The Indian Health Service (Department of Health and Human Services) provides regular updates on the number of cases of COVID-19 among the Indian community, which has increased.

As of February 9, this data includes 182,611 positive tests for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. This data is updated three times per week and examines the positive tests results from 13 regional IHS areas including Alaska, California and the Great Plains. The Indian Health Service is working to coordinate a comprehensive public health response during the pandemic and is cooperating with our tribal partners as well as state and local health officials. Information is voluntarily provided from IHS, tribal and urban Indian organizations to Indian Health Service, which then compiles all the data.

Since mid-October, the IHS has shared positive infection rates as well as information about the spread of COVID-19 to the public. The highest infections rates are currently in three areas, two of them in Arizona, where there is a 16.9 percent positivity rate in the Navajo area and a 14.6 percent positivity rate in the Phoenix area. There is also a 13.5 percent positivity rate in the Oklahoma City area. The Navajo Department of Health reported that the Navajo nation surpassed 29,167 cases with a total of 1,103 deaths as of Friday.

Navajo Nation Supports Mask Wearing

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez encouraged everyone to wear a mask and get vaccinated.  “We are all in this fight against Covid-19 together,” he said. “When we wear a mask and when we choose to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, we are not only protecting ourselves, but we are also protecting our loved ones and everyone that we come into contact with,” Nez said.

This coincides with President Biden’s strategy for the pandemic: more testing, clear guidance and more equitable vaccinations.

“We’re at war with this virus,” said Jeff Zients, the Biden administration’s COVID-19 coordinator. “We’re taking every resource and tool the federal government has to battle on every front.”