The masks, developed by Brno fim Respilon in cooperation with an Israeli firm, will not only block infections, but can kill the virus. It should be on the market within a few weeks. Photo: Freepik / For illustrative purposes.
Brno, Feb 3 (BD) – Almost 20,000 people have been confirmed as infected by the current outbreak of coronavirus, and over 300 people have died. Although the vast majority of these cases are in China, and the Czech Republic has not yet detected any confirmed cases, there is rapidly growing demand for protective face-masks, with orders running into thousands per day.
However, according to Rastislav Maďar from the Medical Faculty of the University of Ostrava, quoted in Brno’s Czech language news website Brnenska Drbna, standard face-masks are effective only in protecting those surrounding someone who is infected, and do not protect the wearer themselves.
In response, Brno firm Respilon, working in collaboration with an Israeli company, has developed a new face-mask that will not only catch the virus, but kill it using copper oxide nanoparticles, thus protecting the wearer from the infectious virus. According to company director Roman Zima, ordinary surgical masks and respirators made from paper, cotton, or carbon are useless, as not only the material but also the filter used and the shape of the mask are important, preventing the virus from penetrating.
The masks should be on the market in 6-8 weeks. According to Zima, quoted in Brnenska Drbna, “While we sold 700,000 masks last year, we now have a demand of 8.5 million in four days, which we are not able to cover.” The price should be in the tens of crowns.
