Japan supercomputer shows multiplying masks offers little assistance forestalling viral spread

Japan supercomputer shows multiplying masks offers little assistance forestalling viral spread

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  • Source: Reuters

  • Date: 07 Mar,2021

Japanese supercomputer simulations revealed that wearing two masks gave limited benefit in blocking viral spread compared with a single properly fitted mask.

The findings in part contradict recent recommendations from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that two masks were better than one at reducing a person’s vulnerability to the coronavirus.

Using a single surgical-type mask, made of non-woven substance, had 85% effectiveness in preventing particles when worn tightly around the nose and face. Including a polyurethane mask on top fostered the effectiveness to only 89%.

“The performance of double masking simply doesn’t add up,” wrote the researchers, led by Makoto Tsubokura.

Generally speaking, professional grade N95 masks were the very best in protecting against disease, followed by non-woven masks, fabric masks, and ultimately polyurethane types, the analysis showed.

The Riken research team previously used the Fugaku supercomputer to model how humidity can influence viral contagion and the disease risks in trains, work spaces, and other environments.

As the COVID-19 epidemic has worn on, scientific consensus has grown that the virus is spread through the air and masks are effective in controlling contagion.

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