Masks can be disinfected and reused

[NewsLady]

Newslady Note: This from Dr. Ted Harrison who practices medicine with Dra. Digna Diaz here in Boquete:

Stanford has just put out a study examining the effectiveness of different kinds of masks and the ability to reuse masks after disinfection.
Bottom lines:
1. N95 surgical masks are the best, but masks made from vacuum cleaner bags run a close second. Cotton masks are in the middle of the pack at about 70-75% effectiveness.
2. N95 masks made from Meltblown fiber filtration media are 97% effective and lose only 1-2% effectiveness if steamed in hot water vapor for ten minutes. Coronavirus is heat sensitive.
3. Static-charged cotton masks are about 78% effective and lose virtually none of their effectiveness if steamed in hot water vapor for ten minutes.
4. Alcohol or chlorine-based disinfection of these masks results in marked loss of efficiency.