COVID-19: Does double-masking help?

Wearing a mask has now become an important part of our lives to avoid the transmission of the COVID-19. The appropriate use, storage and cleaning or disposal of masks are essential to make them as effective as possible.

There are often times when you spot people wearing two face masks at the same time, but the question is, does it help?

In theory, a virus should have a tougher time getting through two layers than just one layer. In a commentary in the journal Med, Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, a Professor of Medicine recommended wearing at least a “high-quality surgical mask or a fabric mask of at least two layers with high thread count.” But they added that wearing a cloth mask tightly on top of a surgical mask could provide even more protection.

 Anthony Fauci, MD, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) also favours double-masking.

“If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective,” says Fauci.