In the CDC's COVID-19 guidelines, experts recommend double masking. Is this for children, too?
While the world continues with making COVID-19 vaccines widely available, new variants already roam some countries around the world. These new variants have led COVID-19 experts to recommend that people double their masks or upgrade to a combination of a cloth mask with one disposable mask inside. Now, parents question if double masking is safe for their children, too.
To answer this, the CDC has rolled out guidelines specific for children and double masking.
Should children double mask?
Some COVID-19 experts are divided when it comes to kids wearing double masks. The chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, Sharon Nachman, M.D., in New York, disagrees with the recommendation. Dr. Nachman says that a double mask should not be a priority. Rather, parents must be diligent in changing their child's mask whenever it gets wet.
On the other hand, COVID Precheck CEO and chief medical officer Nitin Desai, M.D., agrees with double masking for kids, especially when they are immunocompromised or are at high risks. An example of such a case is if the child's parents are healthcare workers.
When should children double mask?
As new variants of COVID-19 slowly appear, double masking can protect children more from viruses.
However, it is also important to understand that children do not have to wear more than one mask all the time. Double masking is most recommended when you and your kids go to crowded and public places.
How is double masking done in children?
If you are to double mask your kids, learn the proper way of doing it.
1. Keep the disposable mask worn underneath the cloth mask.
2. Cloth masks could secure sealing the gaps better if placed over the disposable mask.
3. Do not forget to check if the mask fits perfectly in your child's nose, mouth, and chin. Remember to check if your child is comfortable.
4. Check for gaps around the mask by placing your hands on both edges of the mask and then asking your child to blow.
How do you upgrade to a double mask?
If you only have one mask, look for a mask with two layers and insert a filter inside. Avoid wearing masks with exhalation valves; its valves can allow respiratory droplets to come out, resulting in the possible transmission of the disease.
N95 masks, which are still in critical production, are not yet advised to be used by the public and are reserved primarily for frontliners.
