Bogus protective masks being sold on various e-commerce websites do nothing to protect the wearers, a senior official in the medical devices industry warned the Israeli public on Sunday.
The official was referring to masks that are not approved by the Health Ministry. Most of these masks are listed as type KN-95, rather than N-95, a model the ministry has approved for use.
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"The market is flooded with fakes and masks that are not approved by the Health Ministry," warns Avi Buskila, director-general of Sarel, a company that purchases equipment for government hospitals.
"This is something that concerns me and I want to warn people about. The people who are selling these masks are claiming that they are approved by the FDS, but we looked into the matter and they are not approved for use by the Health Ministry," Buskila said.
According to Buskila, the counterfeit masks cannot provide protection against coronavirus.
"There is a problem with the lock on the mask. Using a mask like this is like using a flak jacket that doesn't offer protection. It's even more dangerous than not wearing a mask because these masks give people the illusion that they're protected, even though they aren't. I'm warning both organizations and individuals – don't buy KN-95 masks before the Health Ministry approves them," he said.
