News and views for the UB community
Published February 1, 2021
With the emergence of several new COVID-19 variants that are reported to be more easily transmitted than the novel coronavirus strain that caused the pandemic, many people are wondering whether they should be doubling up on their masks.
UB infectious disease experts Thomas Russo and John Sellick weighed in on the topic recently, providing answers to some frequently asked questions for UB’s COVID-19 planning and response website.
Russo is chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Sellick is a professor of medicine and member of the division in the Jacobs School. They are members of the committee charged with developing UB’s comprehensive health guidelines in response to the pandemic. Russo and Sellick shared their responses, which are based on the latest science and recommendations from health experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with UBNow.
The physicians also note that it’s important, even for people who’ve already received the COVID-19 vaccine, to continue to follow the health and safety measures that have been ingrained in everyone for the past year now: wear a mask, wash your hands frequently and practice physical distancing.
Whether or not two masks are better than one depends on the type and the fit of the mask you are using.
The best masks for those of us who are not health care workers are:
Bottom line: There is no harm in wearing, for example, a cloth mask on top of a surgical mask. This is true especially if the surgical mask has gaps and the cloth layer helps press down and eliminate those gaps.
Gaiters or bandanas are not considered optimal for masking. They should not be used if at all possible. However, wearing a lower-quality mask, albeit far from ideal, is still better than not wearing a mask at all.
This CDC site provides excellent information on proper mask-wearing. UB will also be working with the WNY Vaccination Hub to consistently update the public through the UB vaccine website with the latest information on how to stay safe.