Wear surgical and cloth mask together as Covid-19 variants spread, experts say
Wear surgical and cloth mask together as Covid-19 variants spread, experts say As new, more transmissible variants of the coronavirus spread, experts say it’s time to consider using a medical-grade respirator or wearing a surgical and cloth mask together. Scientists have agreed for some time the main way the virus is spread is through the air, rather than surfaces, and there’s growing evidence that small droplets from ordinary breathing and speech that can travel many meters (yards) are a common mode of transmission. Added to this is the greater contagiousness of emerging variants, like B.1.1.7, which takes a smaller viral load to cause symptomatic Covid-19 compared to the more common strain. – Fit and filtration – Back when authorities first recommended people wear face coverings, proper masks were in extremely short supply and the public was encouraged to fashion makeshift solutions out of T-shirts or bandanas. But these are far from ideal. Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and env