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The chief nurse of the University Health System (UHS) in Texas, United States has developed a new type of face mask which supposedly has better filtration than N95 masks.
Nurse Tommye Austin developed the face mask to ensure their medical staffs’ safety, should the number of COVID-19 cases rise in their city, San Antonio, as per ABC-affiliate KSAT-TV on April 15.
“In the event that we get a surge of COVID-19 patients in San Antonio, which is predicted to happen in May, we are making sure we have adequate and sufficient equipment for employees,” Austin was quoted as saying.
The mask was tested by the Southwest Research Institute. The test revealed that the new mask has a 99.5% filtration efficiency, whereas the N95 mask only has 95%.
“The mask has a filtration rate of 99.5% with one material and has a 97.8% filtration efficiency with another material we are using,” Austin explained in the report. “So if the N95 masks have a 95% filtration efficiency, that means it can eliminate at least 95% of the virus or bacteria trying to get through the mask.”
Austin also said the new mask does not create carbon dioxide buildup, which could cause dizziness or headache to face mask users. The nurse assured that the new mask was comfortable to wear and could be used in long periods of time.
UHS will be sharing the design with other facilities in San Antonio. They have also created 600 masks as of April 15 but aim to produce 6,500 more.
Austin’s work has been published in the digital library Scribd, the TV station reported yesterday, April 21. The paper shows the “TM2020” pattern and the step-by-step procedure of making the mask.
The nurse also clarified that the pattern is for non-commercial use. The research paper was provided for those who are “interested in making face masks to wear for their personal use” only.
According to the report, reproduced output is not guaranteed to be as effective as the ones created by Austin and UHS. Cha Lino/JB
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