The American study has shown that, in this way, transmissibility can be reduced by up to 96.5%. The organization of executives explained that "some supplies of PPE (personal protective equipment) made available by the emergency commissioner are of poor quality. In some cases, the parents themselves had to buy the appropriate masks " The request to use the double mask is therefore aimed at putting a stop to the spread of the infection of the new variants, which are also being registered in various schools in Italy.
The first school leaders who made the proposal were those from the Lazio region, after the various cases of positivity to the English variant of Covid recorded in some schools in Rome.
The CTS disagrees
From the Technical Scientific Committee comes a contrasting opinion regarding the use of the two masks in the classroom, requested in the first instance by the principals of the Lazio Region. Neither the Ministry of Health nor the Higher Institute of Health nor the CTS would have given such indication on protective equipment at school.
. Not all masks, of course, provide the same protection: cloth masks are less effective than surgical masks, which in turn are less effective than FFP2 and KN95 and FFP3 (used almost exclusively by medical staff in hospital settings).
The different Covid variants, more aggressive and more contagious, which are spreading all over the world, recording numerous outbreaks also in Italy (where entire areas have been forced to total lockdown precisely because of the English variant to Covid), have led to a tightening of containment measures. Wearing the mask even at school is essential, but now comes the request of the principals for double protection, more effective than the single mask.
When it comes to Covid-19 it is always good to pay attention to Coronavirus fake news.
The American study
The American CDC-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have performed laboratory tests on the use of two overlapping masks. The most common use of the double mask: a fabric mask superimposed on a surgical mask, forming a double mask, to have greater security. The CDC reported the results of the experiment: two artificial heads were spaced two meters apart, verifying how many Coronavirus-sized particles emitted through the droplets of one subject were then inhaled by the other.
The results:
- wearing a mask, surgical or cloth, blocks about 40% of the particles directed to the inhalant subject;
- a cloth mask over a surgical mask, worn by a single subject, mouth about 80%;
- with double mask for both subjects 95% is reached.
When wearing two overlapping masks, always follow the rule of the surgical mask as the first layer: doing the opposite would defeat the protective purpose, as well as make breathing difficult.
Do not use a surgical mask with an FFP3: these are protective devices designed to adhere as closely as possible to the face with a system of double laces, which do not require further additions, on the contrary, they would significantly worsen breathing.
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