A consortium of companies and research institutes announced on Saturday that they have created a type of reusable mask capable of inactivating the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.
Named MOxAd-Tech, the textile mask “successfully passed the tests carried out by the Joao Lobo Antunes Institute of Molecular Medicine,” the consortium said in a statement sent to journalists.
The creators claimed that the mask has an “innovative coating that neutralizes the SARS-CoV-2 virus when it comes into contact with the fabric, an effect that remains even after 50 washes.”
Pedro Simas, a virologist, explained that the tests on the MOxAd-Tech mask revealed a “99 percent viral reduction after one hour of contact with the virus, according to the test parameters indicated in the international standard.”
“In a simplified way, these tests consist of analyzing the tissue after contact with a solution that contains a certain amount of virus, whose viability is measured over time,” said Simas.
The masks, being produced in Portugal, will be sold for 10 euros (11.6 U.S. dollars) in the country and throughout the European Union.
Portugal recorded four more deaths from coronavirus and 263 new infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the totals to 1,716 and 49,955 since the beginning of the pandemic.
