Mask Pledging to Prevent Novel Coronavirus Developed in Portugal

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A partnership between several Portuguese companies and scientific and academic centres has enabled the development of a mask that inactivates the virus that causes Covid-19, endorsed by the João Lobo Antunes Institute of Molecular Medicine (iMM) in Lisbon, according to EFE.

The mask, called MOxAd-Tech, has been for sale since April, but its ability to inactivate the virus has only now been confirmed by a number of tests conducted by the institute, the organizations involved in the project said yesterday.

This protective equipment, which features a coating that neutralizes the virus when it comes into contact with it, was developed in collaboration between textile manufacturer Adalberto, retail company MO, Sonae Fashion, the CITEVE technology center, iMM and the University of Minho.

Virologist Pedro Simas, who coordinated the work, said that the tests performed “demonstrated an effective inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 even after 50 washes, observing a 99 percent viral reduction after one hour of contact with the fabric”.

To test its effectiveness, the tissue was analyzed after contact with a solution containing a certain amount of the virus, to measure its viability over time.

Before the iMM confirmed its effectiveness in inactivating covid-19, the Institut Pasteur de Lille, France, had already successfully tested its antimicrobial properties against the H1N1 virus, of the corona- and rotavirus type.

The mask, developed with a technical fabric that integrates several different layers, waterproof and reusable, is also certified by the French Direction Générale des Entreprises, which accredits a 96 percent particle retention, even after 50 washes.

Although they are now for sale only in the MO Portuguese brand stores, available throughout the European Union, the project has been opened to the community so that other brands in Portugal and abroad can distribute them.

The price of the mask on MO’s website is €10 – or R$61.

Source: UOL