What are the latest useful tips on masks and chins against COVID-19

A partir del cambio de rumbo de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC) de Estados Unidos en la recomendación sobre el uso de máscaras o barbijos en interiores para todas las personas, incluso aquellas vacunadas en forma completa, surgen nuevas preguntas frecuentes sobre el uso, cuidado, limpieza y efectividad de estos tapabocas para combatir las infecciones por COVID-19.

Ante el alto número diario de infectados por coronavirus en Estados Unidos, debido a la circulación de las nuevas variantes, ayer las autoridades de los CDC volvieron a recomendar a las personas el uso de tapaboca en interiores pese a estar completamente vacunadas, pero solo para las ciudades o regiones con altas tasas de transmisión de COVID-19.

After more than a year and a half since the emergence of the coronavirus in China, the new variants of the virus, especially the delta, continue to generate high numbers of daily infections of COVID-19.In the United States, half of the people are vaccinated and of these, 80% of older adults.But the contagios continue to rise, which means that masks, chins or tapping remain a fundamental tool to curb the spread of virus.Therefore, many people have already used these protective elements and new questions arise from their use.

Do I have to put on a mask after vaccinating myself?

The CDC recommended yesterday that vaccinated Americans wear masks inside in certain circumstances. La agencia advierte que las personas vacunadas que viven en áreas con alta transmisión del virus usen máscaras en espacios públicos cerrados. También dijo que las personas vacunadas con miembros vulnerables en el hogar, incluidos los niños que son demasiado pequeños para ser vacunados y los inmunodeprimidos, usen máscaras en los espacios públicos interiores.The agency also said that vaccinated people can safely interact indoors without masks with uncommonly vaccinated people who are not vulnerable to serious cases of COVID.

While authorized vaccines are highly effective in preventing serious diseases caused by the virus, they do not provide instant and complete protection.CDC do not consider that people are completely vaccinated up to two weeks after their second injection of vaccine regimes of two doses of Pfizer-Bionntech and modern. El mismo período de tiempo se aplica a la vacuna de una sola inyección de Johnson & Johnson.

Y debido a que todavía no sabemos si las personas vacunadas pueden transmitir el virus o cuánto tiempo dura la protección de las vacunas, los expertos recomiendan tomar precauciones en público, especialmente si está experimentando un contacto cercano prolongado con personas desconocidas que podrían no estar vacunadas.

If I got the coronavirus and recovered, do I still need to wear a mask?

Yes, experts say, at least until the virus and immune response of people are better understood."It is possible that I can still spread it. Más importante aún, no sabes cuándo volverás a ser susceptible “, precisó Gregory Poland, director del Grupo de Investigación de Vacunas de la Clínica Mayo."More importantly, you don't know when you will be susceptible again".

"Until we know more about how lasting it is the immune response of people and if they have effectively had it, the best thing for them would be to continue practicing the distancing and using a mask," added Mark Rupp, head of the division of infectious diseasesNebraska University Medical Center.

Do I have to use my mask even when I am in social distancing?

It is believed that the coronavirus spreads mainly through the contact from person to person within two meters, which leads to public health experts to widely recommend that people at least maintain that distance between them and the others. Pero nuevas investigaciones sugieren que es posible que las gotas de virus viajen más allá, especialmente en áreas con poca ventilación.Since then, the CDC has updated its guide on how the virus spreads to include aerial transmission as a possibility.

Liney Marr, an expert in Virginia Tech Aerosols who studies the aerial transmission of infectious diseases, suggests taking into account three factors: if it is outdoors, if it is at a safe distance from other people and if everyone uses masks.Ideally, says Marr, you should try to be in situations where you can meet two of those conditions, especially if you or the people you interact outside your home are not vaccinated.

How to use a mask

Should I get double mask?

Un informe de febrero de los CDC halló que el uso de una máscara doble de tela de varias capas sobre una máscara quirúrgica es una forma de aumentar sustancialmente el ajuste y la protección contra COVID.The Federal Health Agency also reported that knotting the earmuffs of a single surgical mask and putting the sides near the face had a similar effect.

However, not everyone needs to start using two masks all the time, says Dr. Mónica Gandhi, a medical professor and an expert in infectious diseases at the University of California in San Francisco.Gandhi, who was recently co -author of a comment on science behind the use of masks, suggests duplicating facial coverings if you spend time indoors in crowded spaces or in areas where transmission rates are high are.People who are medically vulnerable should also consider the possibility of putting masks in layers, she says.

How can I use a simple or double mask effectively?

The mask adjustment is key, experts say.For a mask to do your job, you must adjust well to your face, completely protect your nose and mouth.Several widely available fabric masks now have adjustable nasal wires and ears to help you achieve a better adjustment."If the mask does not fit well and there are large spaces around the nose, next to the cheeks or under the chin, then it has frustrated the purpose," says Pole.

The purpose of using two masks is to improve adjustment and filtration, says Gandhi.And if the masks are placed in layers correctly, they can closely simulate the effectiveness of a N95 respirator, which many experts consider the gold standard.In the comment of January, Gandhi and Co -author Marr, the professor of Virginia Tech, recommended two ways in which people can place their masks for "maximum protection".

Opción 1: Use un paño de múltiples capas bien ajustado que cubra una mascarilla quirúrgica. El material de polipropileno no tejido de la mascarilla quirúrgica repele electrostáticamente el virus y luego la mascarilla de tela forma literalmente una barrera física con fibras que van en todas direcciones.This was the double masking method tested by CDC researchers.

The CDC does not recommend placing another mask on a N95 or similar respirator, such as a KN95.The N95 should still be reserved for health workers and the updated guide recommend using only one KN95 mask at the same time.

"The N95 and the KN95 approved by the US are intended to function by themselves," said the CDC in a statement sent by email to journalists."Add additional masks at the top or under these respirators could not only affect how well they fit the face and decrease their effectiveness, but could increase the necessary effort to breathe through them".

Opción 2: Use una máscara de tres capas con capas exteriores de tela de tejido apretado intercalando una capa intermedia hecha de un material de filtro no tejido de alta eficiencia, como un filtro de bolsa de vacío, indica el artículo.The filter material will act similar to a surgical mask or other medical grade cover.The double mask should not "be misunderstood to say more and more layers of fabric," says Gandhi.The additional material that does not work as a medical grade mask "is not useful and will only cause your voice to drown", which can make your face cover to speak.

Can I leave my exposed nose?

Nope.The nose is also one of the main entrance points of the new coronavirus. Una proteína clave, llamada receptor ACE2 , que el coronavirus usa para ingresar e infectar las células, se encuentra en densidades más altas en la membrana nasal que en la tráquea o tráquea."Using a mask on your mouth but not the nose is similar to holding the seat belt in your hand but without clicking," says Pole.

Does covering your nose and mouth affect my ability to breathe?

Although it may seem more difficult to breathe when a facial cover is used regularly, common and "zero impact" of oxygenation and breathing quality, says Gandhi, says Gandhi.Oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules are “so small that they can cross a mask a total.

Medical professionals often spend many hours a day with masks and can do their job "quite well," says Pole.Neyssa Ernst, Nursing Manager of the Biocontent Unit of Johns Hopkins Medicine, adds that even in the days before the pandemic, many people with respiratory problems used masks without problems."For years, we have dealt with patients with lung transplantation and patients with cystic fibrosis who are some of the patients with the most respiratory problems I can imagine," says Ernst.“They would never come to the hospital or move around the hospital without a mask.So, if that population, which would really have a valid statement to say, ‘it is really difficult for me to breathe’, if you are able to do it, I think the rest of us can ".

Are there legitimate exemptions for the use of masks?

@Jiocare How to Activate Disney+ Hottsar Vip via Jio Offer?

— DHARMIK Mon Dec 14 10:00:59 +0000 2020

"Very few," says RUPP.According to CDCs, children under 2 should not use facial covers;people who have problems breathing;or any person who is unconscious, incapacitated or that a mask cannot be removed without help."I could foresee circumstances in which the mask could enter someone's mouth or throat and cause suffocation," says RUPP."If you really do not have the ability to stretch your hand and remove the mask, they would probably not qualify to use a mask".

The CDC offers recommendations for people who have mental disabilities or sensory sensibilities on their website.It also recommends that anyone who interacts regularly with deaf people or hearing problems considers using masks with a transparent window on the front.

How do I know or take my mask safely?

You must try to avoid touching your mask as much as possible.When you need to manipulate it, it is better to touch only the earmuffs or, if necessary, the part of the material under the chin.

“There are a lot of pollutants in the air, so they will be at the front of the mask.And then you are going to put your hand on that and then touch your face, ”Ernst added, who recommends disinfecting or washing your hands before and after touching a contaminated mask.In our frequent questions about the care of the masks, Michael Knight, a medical assistant professor at George Washington University, also emphasized the importance of hands hygiene.

What do I do with my mask if I need to sneeze?

In case of sneezing, a mask could serve as an effective barrier to prevent potentially infectious droplets.But sneezing a mask can wet it and make it less effective, he told Goren Eleanor Murray, an assistant professor of Epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health.That is why I recommend always carrying a new support mask.

What happens if my mask gets wet?

Either saliva, sweat or any other form of humidity, a wet facial cover is not ideal, according to experts."You want the air to pass through the mask, because you do not have a hermetic seal around the face like an adjusted N95," Knight said."If the mask is saturated with liquid, then that liquid is on the mask fabric and the air will not pass through it," he added.

When single -use surgical masks get wet, "they get rid of," says Ernst.He adds that even the most resistant N95 masks can also begin to degrade if they are exposed to too much moisture.That is why the health workers who use them daily often keep them in paper bags."The paper bag will absorb part of the humidity that occurs naturally in the mask and then can reuse the mask," says Ernst.

Why do my eyes dry?Why are my lenses tarnish?

These are related problems that are probably due to the fact that the mask does not fit well to the face, allowing the exhaled air to escape from the top.One of the simplest solutions is to make sure the mask is correctly adjusted.Many facial covers can be modified so that they fit better simply by adjusting the nose wire or ears classes.In addition, some experts have suggested the use of medical tape or an adhesive bandage to close the gap.For glasses of glasses, it can also be useful to wins their glasses with a little soap and water.

What do I do if my mask gives me acne?

Skin irritation and outbreak."Virtually all skin types will experience some type of irritation for the use of a mask if they use it for prolonged periods of time every day," said Dendy Engelman, New York Dermatological Surgeon."Many people will see irritation for physical friction and / or pressure of the material in their skin, while others will see acne appear"

If you are experiencing “maskne”, look for a soft cleaner and products designed to hydrate, repair and support the skin barrier function, said Engelman.The irritation of the skin caused by friction can be relieved with moisturizing ointments and cleaners containing salicylic acid, benzyl peroxide or elementary sulfur to treat the sprouts are recommended, Braff reported.It is better to avoid the use of makeup, which can dirty the mask and obstruct the pores.

Skin experts also recommended paying attention to the type of mask you are using and making sure to keep it clean.Adam Mamelak, an Austin headquarters, said that the best skin fabric mask is one with multiple layers of silk or silk lining.Silk has antimicrobial properties and it has been shown that it is better for people with sensitive skin, Braff reported.

Types of masks

What kind of masks are recommended for the general public?

Experts consider that N95 masks are the most effective available.But public health agencies have recommended that the coveted N95 remain reserved to a large extent for those who work on health care, among others in populations of greater risk.

For the general public, experts say that surgical masks and multi -layer fabric covers made of tight tissue material are effective forms of protection.In a guide on masks, CDC recommends facial roofs made of two or more layers of washable and breathable fabric, such as cotton.The experts of the World Health Organization say that three -layer fabric masks are ideal.

But in the midst of a recent increase in winter cases and the appearance of new strains of the most contagious coronavirus in Europe, a growing number of countries has begun to recommend or demand the use of medical grade masks.The woven material of many fabric masks is not as effective to filter particles such as molten non -tissue polypropylene used to make surgical and respirators masks, said Marr.And the used N95 have an advantage over standard surgical masks because they are designed to comfortably adjust to the face, which allows them to filter at least 95 percent of the particles in the air.

"A surgical mask is just a rectangle and you are trying to take it to your face," he said."Obviously, our faces do not have the shape of a flat rectangle, so you inevitably end with many leaks".In Germany, for example, people traveling in public transport or in grocery stores must use N95, equivalent covers such as KN95 or FFP2, or surgical masks.The changes that are being implemented in Europe seem to conflict with the OSS orientation, which still establishes that medical masks should be restricted to health workers, people who show Covid symptoms, which come into contact with ainfected person and those that can be vulnerable to developing a more serious disease.

Should I use a neck poin?

The neck leggings have become one of the most discussed facial coverage types during pandemic.Polanins gained popularity as a more comfortable alternative to traditional masks, since they are often made of light and breathable material and do not require classes for the ears.

In August, the researchers at the University of Duke released a simple device to evaluate the effectivestudy mask.

But a subsequent investigation carried out by aerosols experts has suggested that when a single layer polaina is used, it is very effective in blocking a variety of particle sizes.In experiments carried out by Marr, the professor of Virginia Tech, a bent poin.

Can I use a plastic facial protector in place?

CDC claim that facial protectors "mainly use to protect the eyes of the person who carries them".Although Gandhi says that there has been no “clear documentation of the ocular transmission” so far, a recent study published in Jama Ophthalmology suggested that using glasses could offer some protection.But scientists emphasized that their study had "notable limitations" and asked for more research.Nor is it known "what level of protection provides a facial protector to nearby people from the Rocío of respiratory droplets of the user," says the CDC, and adds that the plastic barrier does not recommend as a substitute for masks.

If you only use a facial protector, it is allowing the air without filtering to flow and escape through the large spaces between the edges of the protector and its face, says Gandhi.Facial protectors, he points out, must be used in addition to a mask in case another protection layer is needed or desired.

KEEP READING: