The Food and Drugs Authority, FDA on April 26, 2020 listed 10 registered and authorized face masks and guard for public use to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FDA has actually advised the general public to pass the suggested three-layered face masks to efficiently assist in suppressing the spread of the global pandemic.
They include; Heritage Face Mask, Joeritz Face shield, Lily of the Valley Face Mask, Notill Face Mask, Otech Biotech Face Mask, Pacific Face Mask, Sixteen 47 Face Shield, Sixteen 47 Face Mask, Studio AK Face Mask, and Swift Face Mask (Re-Usable).
According to the FDA Head of Medical Gadgets, Joseph Yaw-Bernie, the majority of the locally produced facemasks presented health risks to people instead of safeguarding them.
He said most of the local ones were double-layered or either single cloth and sewn with treated materials, which in itself may pose a danger to the user.
The FDA, therefore, attracted the public to desist from using un-recommended face masks, worrying that in an effort to consist of the spread of the disease, lots of were producing it locally, the efficacy of which could not be ascertained.
He stated face masks typically must have the ability to filter out particles and still be simple to breathe through.
He said in the lack of propylene, which is the common product used for medical-grade face masks, one hundred percent cotton or cotton blends had great product qualities for homemade face masks.
He said current research studies and examinations carried out by the FDA on viable products for face masks production established that Calico-Stiff (Hard/Medium)-Calico (3 layers) mix was ideal for a multiple-use homemade COVID-19 face mask.
The FDA Head of Medical Gadgets added that the FDA was performing market monitoring to save the system, informing both users and manufacturers to stop using and producing face masks there were not advised.
