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Wearing a good face mask with high filtration capability is crucial in protecting us from Covid-19.
This was emphasised at the recent Multi-Ministry Taskforce in light of the growing number of community cases and the presence of variants such as B1.1617 strain which can be more transmissible.
That said, there are so many brands of face masks being sold online and in-store these days.
Which are the surgical masks that really meet the standard?
HSA-approved surgical masks
The Health Science Authority (HSA) has released a list of HSA-licensed local manufacturers and brand names of face masks that that meet 95 per cent of Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE) based on European (EN 14683) and American (ASTM F2100) certification standards.
As of May 19, there are 26 local manufacturing facilities are licensed by HSA.
Here's a list of brands you can look out for but do note that this is a non-exhaustive list:
HSA-Licensed Local Manufacturer | Brand Name |
Aprotect Pte Ltd | Aprotect 3-ply Medical Grade Medical Face Mask |
Asun International Pte Ltd | Asun Disposable Medical Mask |
AVS Technologies Pte Ltd | WellM 3 ply Elastic Earloop Medical Mask |
AVS Technologies Pte Ltd | Kyla 3-ply Disposable Medical Mask |
Calmedix Manufacturing Pte Ltd | Fortify F1 3-Ply Disposable Face Mask |
Calmedix Manufacturing Pte Ltd | Fortify F2 3-Ply Disposable Medical Mask |
Cosmes Supplies Pte Ltd | COSMES 3 Ply Earloop Face Mask |
DIP Investments Pte Ltd | MoharMed 3 Ply Premium Disposable Medical Face Mask |
Dou Yee Enterprises(S) Pte Ltd | 3-Ply Non woven Face Masks |
Egis Nanotech Pte Ltd | Dumanis Disposable Fluid Resistant Medical Mask Level 1 |
Egis Nanotech Pte Ltd | Dumanis Disposable Fluid Resistant Medical Mask Level 2 |
Essential Medical Supplies Pte Ltd | Maxcare Disposable Medical Mask |
Fabri-Tech Components (S) Pte Ltd | MaskSafe Disposable Surgical Face Mask |
KHM Engineering Pte Ltd | OP’ R KOLMI Medical Mask |
LPY Manufacturing (S) PTE LTD | DA 3-Ply Disposable Surgical Mask |
Medi Dent International Pte Ltd | Surgisyl 3-Ply Surgical Mask |
MedtechBOSS Pte Ltd | SMedLife Medical Face Mask |
Racer Technology Pte Ltd | KOH 3-Ply Surgical Disposable Facemask |
Racer Technology Pte Ltd | Perfect Nature 3-Ply Surgical Disposable Facemask |
Racer Technology Pte Ltd | Healwav 3-Ply Surgical Disposable Facemask |
Racer Technology Pte Ltd | Granzilla 3-Ply Surgical Disposable Facemask |
Razer Health Pte. Ltd. | #RAZERFORLIFE PREMIUM CERTIFIED 3-PLY SURGICAL MASK |
Soteria Healthcare Pte Ltd | Protego-3 Premium 3-Ply Surgical Masks |
ST Engineering Innosparks Pte Ltd | AIR+ Medical Grade Surgical Mask |
The Wellness Fellows Pte Ltd | The Wellness Fellows Adult Earloop Surgical Mask ASTM F2100 LEVEL 3 |
The Wellness Fellows Pte Ltd | The Wellness Fellows Kids Earloop Surgical Mask ASTM F2100 LEVEL 3 |
The Wellness Fellows Pte Ltd | The Wellness Fellows Adult Earloop Surgical Mask EN 14683 TYPE IIR |
The Wellness Fellows Pte Ltd | The Wellness Fellows Kids Earloop Surgical Mask EN 14683 TYPE IIR |
Ti2 Chemicals Pte Ltd | C19Shield Surgical Mask |
Vital Shield Pte Ltd | Vital Face Mask VS50MB |
Wes Medical Care Manufacturing Pte Ltd | Wes Medical 3-Ply Surgical Face Mask |
Wes Medical Care Manufacturing Pte Ltd | Wes Medical Premium Protective Face Mask |
Why surgical masks?
Face masks are important to prevent virus transmission because they offer "source control" which prevent the wearer’s respiratory droplets from travelling into the air and onto other people.
Surgical masks, in particular, also offer protection against exposure to splashes and sprays of infectious material from others because they have water-repelling front layers.
These masks have high filtration efficiency, are breathable, and offer reasonable fluid penetration resistance.
This is why surgical masks are used during medical and surgical procedures in hospitals and clinics.
Besides surgical masks, you can also choose to use reusable masks that have at least two to three layers of fabric:
Related story:
Top image via HSA website and Shopee
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