Does another mask make a difference?
Because COVID-19 variants are now being reported in the Pacific Northwest, many people are wondering whether two masks create more protection than one. Dr. Seth Cohen, medical director of infection prevention at UW Medical Center, says the best protection is a mask that fits well and has multiple layers. In any case, he adds, your mask volume shouldn't cause you to relax about keeping appropriate distance and washing hands.
"The way these variants develop is the virus mutates in our bodies, and so the more people that are infected, the more mutations develop, the more likely these variants are to develop," he says. "It’s not a surprise that viruses mutate but the way to drive down that mutation rate is to drive down our community incidence."