How to properly use and wash the chin strap

A survey published in The New England Journal of Medicine revealed that the mask is one of the pillars of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, and this universal mask can help reduce the severity of the disease and ensure that a higher proportion of new infections are asymptomatic.

What is the function of wearing a mask?

– They are a protective barrier to isolate droplets released when talking, sneezing or coughing.

– These droplets are large (more than 5 microns) and fall at a distance of more than 90 cm and 2.5 cm. The COVID-19 contained in the droplets falls on surfaces and does not remain suspended in the air.

– Health care personnel, security personnel and other workers who carry out activities during the pandemic that expose them to potential contact with infected patients should use disposable masks.

– Three-layer protective chin straps are suitable because they offer 99% blocking and filtration efficiency.

Robert Redfield, The former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said: “They are the most important and powerful public health tool we have“And suggested that face masks could be even more effective than a vaccine in limiting the spread of COVID-19. And he recommended 4 things: “Wear a mask, maintain social distance, wash your hands and be smart with the crowd“.

To properly put on, use and remove a chin strap, keep in mind:

1. Before putting on a mask, wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

2. Cover your mouth and nose with the mask. Make sure there is no space between the chin strap.

3. Avoid touching the chin strap when wearing it; If you do, wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

4. Change your chin strap as soon as it gets wet or visibly dirty.

5. To remove the chinstrap: do it from behind without touching the front of the chinstrap, immediately put it in a closed container and wash your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

The use of the double chin strap

Wearing two well-fitting masks can almost double the effectiveness of filtering SARS-CoV-2-sized particles, preventing them from reaching the user’s nose and mouth and causing COVID-19, study finds. The research, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, shows that the reason for increased protection is not so much the addition of layers of fabric, but the removal of any gaps or areas of improper fit.

“Masks for medical procedures they are designed to have very good filtration potential depending on their material, but the way they adapt to our faces is not perfect “Emily Sickbert-Bennett, associate professor of infectious diseases at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and lead author of the research, said in a statement.

“The proper functioning of a mask depends on two things: filtration and fit ”, explained Linsey Marr, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech.

According to the researchers, The basic adjusted filtration efficiency of a mask differs from person to person, due to the unique fit of each person’s face and mask. But overall, a procedural mask without altering the fit, It is 40-60% effective in preventing entry of particles the size of COVID-19. A cloth mask is about 40% effective.

Recent findings on duplicating the face mask shows that when a fabric mask is placed over a surgical mask, the FFE improves by approximately 20%. When placed over procedural masks, cloth masks improve the fit by eliminating gaps and keeping the procedural mask closer to the face, consistently covering the nose and mouth. When using a procedural mask over a cloth mask, the FFE improved by 16%.

Your laundry

the disposable masks have an eight hour shelf life, while If the homemade mask gets wet or is visibly dirty, it should be washed. Wash with manual soap or washing machine just clean it properly.

Sheet masks can be washed by hand or in a washing machine. Surgical masks, another popular option, cannot be washed and should be discarded after use. If you use a washing machine, the CDC recommends regular soap and the “hottest water setting.”. If you wash off the mask By hand, a bleach solution should be prepared and submerged in it for five minutes, then rinsed with cold or room temperature water. In addition, it is recommended to wash the mask filters by hand.

“Masks should be washed after each use. It is important to always properly remove your masks and wash your hands after handling or touching a used mask, ”the CDC website explains. According to the CDC, properly removing the mask means handling it only by the ears or buckles, folding it to put it in the washing machine, and washing your hands immediately afterwards.

KEEP READING: