Faced with the increase in respiratory diseases such as the flu and Covid-19 in Brazil, the Institute of Chemistry of the University of São Paulo (USP) created a mask capable of containing the two types of viruses responsible for the diseases, influenza and the new coronavirus. .
Marketed under the name Phitta Mask, the mask has a technology called Phtalox, which can eliminate viral particles the moment they come into contact with the fabric. Due to this chemical technology, the outermost layer of the virus can be destroyed in a matter of seconds, thus preventing viral replication.
According to the USP Institute, during 2020 and 2021, tests were carried out that proved the effectiveness of the mask (99%) against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants Ômicron, Delta, Gamma (P.1), Zeta (P. .2) and the influenza virus. The development of the mask was the result of a partnership between the institute and the Brazilian company Golden Technology.
“The results of the lab tests make us very comfortable. The mask eliminated 100% of the viruses, both Influenza A and Influenza B. This is very important because it is a disease with high mortality, especially among pregnant women, the elderly and children”, explains virologist Edison Luiz Durigon, researcher at USP and coordinator of the analyses, in a statement.
The CEO of Golden Technology, Sérgio Bertucci, says that, unlike the surgical mask, which needs to be changed every 3 hours, the technology “guarantees protection for up to 12 hours, which significantly reduces the amount of units discarded in the environment” .
Epidemiological scenario
The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) released, on Thursday (9), the Infogripe bulletin that warns of an increase in Covid-19 cases among the occurrences of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In the last four weeks, 69% of SARS cases were caused by Covid-19. In relation to deaths, 92% also correspond to Covid-19. The analysis was done from May 29 to June 4.
A survey of CNN Agency shows that the moving average of Covid-19 cases in Brazil this Thursday was 37,080 cases in seven days, while the moving average of deaths in the last week was 123.
*Supervised by Giulia Alecrim of CNN.
Source: CNN Brasil
