Does wearing two masks provide more protection?
It depends, but it’s possible that doubling up could help in some situations.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing a cloth mask made with two or more layers, and ensuring it covers your nose and mouth. The agency says it should fit snugly so there aren't any gaps at the sides of your face.
Wearing just one mask should be enough for most situations, as long as it fits well and isn't loose, said Dr. David Hamer, an infectious disease expert at Boston University.
“Starting out with a good mask to begin with is going to be key,” Hamer said.
Still, some people might want extra protection if they're at risk for severe illness if infected or will be in situations where they expect to be around others for extended periods, such as on a plane.
One option in scenarios when you want extra protection is to wear a cloth mask as well as a regular surgical mask, said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco.
Gandhi said that combination -- with either mask on top -- could help achieve a similar effect as the N95 mask. She recommended the added protection for people who will be indoors in areas where transmission rates are high — which could reflect the circulation of more contagious variants.
Another option Gandhi and a colleague recommend for situations where you want “maximum” protection: A two-layer cloth mask that has a filter material in between.
With single cloth masks for everyday use, Gandhi noted it's important that they're made of tightly-woven material and have at least two layers, which creates “an obstacle course” that makes it harder for virus-carrying particles to break through.
The Times Square ball isn't the only item dropping on New Year's Eve. Curiosity.com's Ashley Hamer joins us with the weirdest dropped items from around the country.
Sara Miller, Staff Writer at Live Science, and Claire Maldarelli, assistant editor at Popular Science, discuss a new study that suggests that men might not be exaggerating symptoms of the flu after all...they might actually suffer more than women!
Cannabis company "hmbldt" is changing its name to "dosist." Co-Founder Jason DeLand joins Cheddar to tell us why the time was right for the change.
The sky is the limit for the vertical farming industry. Aerofarm's Marc Oshima joins Cheddar to discuss his company's construction of the world's largest indoor farm.
Solar power is the fastest growing part of the global energy industry. Inderpreet Wadhwa, CEO of Azure Power, one of the largest solar power producers in India, sat down with us to discuss why India is well positioned to capitalize on the trend.
Bossygrl is a new app and platform that is looking to help female entrepreneurs launch their ideas and create businesses. The app became available on December 6th and is focused on Gen Z.
Autonomous vehicles could be on the road sooner than you think. A company that is building towards that future is Luxoft. Luxoft has partnered with Intel to create a new digital cockpit computer and Ford for an in-vehicle translator app.
Rae Paoletta, space editor for Inverse, discusses the latest discovery by the Kepler Space Telescope, which located an 8th planet in the Kepler-90 system, making it the only system with as many planets as our own.
This week President Trump signed a directive that will refocus America's space program on human exploration and discovery. Hanneke Weitering, Staff Writer at Space.com, joins Cheddar to discuss whether this decision means more funding from the White House for NASA.
Since 2012, the Basser Center for BRCA has been working towards treating, preventing, and researching BRCA related Cancers. Now, the Center has launched #invisiblegenes to bring awareness to inherited cancer and increase early detection.
