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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:

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:

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Top image via HSA website and Shopee