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It's been almost a year sinceThe masks have become a staple of our daily life to stay safe from coronavirus. But while you could be satisfied with thatDIY FABRIC MASK You did last March, effective face coatings became even more important recently asNew coronavirus strains more communicable have begun to spread in the United States - one of the U.K., another from South Africa and a third of Brazil. These new strains are estimated to propagate at least 50% more easily, which is why experts say it's time to re-evaluate your mask. Read to find out what your mask needs and for more front cover tips, discover whyDo this to your mask can protect you less, experts warn.

"With a more transmissible virus, this means that each exhibition has an increased probability of spreading," explains the immunologist and the microbiologistAndrea Love, Doctorate and scientist of public healthJessica Steier, DRPH, co-hosts ofThe impartial scientific podcast. "Imagine a mask like a labyrinth for these droplets to be made to pass their way. The more the labyrinth is complicated, the more you will trap and prevent to escape to the environment. So, not any mask will make quality . "

According to love, you must take into account some key factors when choosing a face covering a face. "It is important to understand that the fabric masks were intended to be a stop measure," she says. "Many who are regularly worn by people have little to no protection, depending on the material, number of layers and adjustment."

As a result, love warns that if your mask does not have the following four things, it does not match the invoice. Keep reading to find out what you should look at, and for more masks, beware thatIf you bought this instead of a mask, you might have problems.

Love says that the material is a "critical factor" in order to protect or not a mask. "Since the physical barrier mask for the respiratory droplets, you want to search tight woven materials, with small pore sizes or adjacent fiber gaps," she says. "The smaller the pore size, the more these droplets will be stopped. The tissues that have a small number of wires or are made with looidal woven materials will be less protective because they will escape more respiratory droplets."

While most medical masks have an extremely low pore size, love says to pay attention to the material when choosing a fabric mask. If you want a more protective material, you must search for a high number of wires or high tissue density. And for more COVID new news, delivered directly to your inbox,Sign up for our daily newsletter.

The new variants have resulted inMore attention on double masking, a very idea of ​​the Covid Councilor of the White HouseAnthony Fauci, MD, approved. As you probably suppose, more layers of material means more protection.

A Nov study.Efficiency of different face coatings And found that the masks with three layers offered the greatest protection. More specifically, the most effective mask consists of "two layers of tight woven fabric with a high-efficiency filter material Non woven sandwich between two," says love. "Upgrading a fabric mask to include that the third filter layer will enhance the protection they offer."

However, if you can not add a filter, wear two fabric masks with one or two layers for one or two layers better than wearing one. And for more mask tips, beware thatThis type of facial mask is "unacceptable", warns the Mayo Clinic.

To do your job, your mask must adapt without deficiencies, which means that it should be mounted around the bridge of your nose and sides of your face.Leann Poston, MD, aCertified physician and health advisor For Medical Invigor, indicates that paying attention to the adjustment is "important so that all droplets are filtered through the mask and do not go around the edges".

Love and Steiner recommend cloth masks that have links around the back of the head, as these usually offer a better fit than earrings. However, if your fabric mask has earrings that can adjust size, this can help improve your mask adjustment. And for more ways to stay safe, check whyDr. Fauci says you need one of these at home to avoid Covid.

Does your mask have a valve? If so, it will not help you in the fight against Covid, love says. The expiration valves allow air and respiratory droplets to easily escape masks. "This cancels any protective capacity of the mask material because these valves allow easy transmission of these respiratory droplets," she explains.

Even centers for control and disease prevention (CDC)Warns up against masks with valves. "This type of mask may not prevent you from spreading Covid-19 to others," they say. "The hole in the material can allow your respiratory droplets to escape and reach others." And for more masks, the agency says to avoid, discover whyThe CDC warns against the use of these 6 face masks.