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The leading US infectious disease expert said it was “possible” that federal health officials would soon recommend “double masking” in an effort to better prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
Talk to Washington postDr Anthony Fauci reiterated that researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are looking into this issue, noting that more data is needed before a decision is made.
“It’s possible,” that the CDC could recommend two masks, Fauci said. “Fair [in] discussions with my colleagues at the CDC yesterday … the CDC is considering doing a study to see if two masks might be better than one, that makes common sense you would think – and the reason they don’t recommend it for the now it’s a science-based organization, [so] they’re making recommendations based on data and science, that’s why they’re going to be looking at this particular issue. ”
Fauci’s comments come after the CDC said on Friday that it is currently studying the effectiveness of double masks, particularly a fabric mask placed over a medical mask, in stopping the spread of the coronavirus, although it does not have more “hard data” to confirm if it would be. better than using a single mask.
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“We are not recommending either for or against double masking,” said Dr. John Brooks, CDC chief medical officer responsible for the COVID-19 response. “We want to present all the options available to people. If we can get people to hide the rules, this is the first big step.”
Brooks, who was attending the Infectious Diseases Society of America briefing on Friday, said the agency would “share the information” as soon as possible. He said some evidence suggests that using a cloth and medical mask could block more than 90% or more of viral particles, which would be close to the level of protection offered by N95 masks.
“You all know that wearing masks remains a key part of the public response to COVID-19,” Brooks said in his opening remarks. “The CDC recommends that everyone over 2 years old wear a mask in public places and around people outside your home.”
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Brooks added that the agency continues to assess the effectiveness of different combinations of materials and warned that sometimes more doesn’t necessarily mean better, referring to the example of multiple condom use. However, if using a double mask makes one person feel safe and another person practices using the mask, they don’t see it as a problem.
“If double masking is an option that they would take in using a mask, I would wholeheartedly approve of it,” he said at the time.
Alexandria Hein of Fox News contributed to this report.
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