The Ministry of Domestic Trade And Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) today published a video on their social media pages to educate the rakyat on the various types of face masks on the market and their effectiveness in preventing the spread of Covid-19. KPDNHEP will be going live to showcase the video to consumers on their social media platforms; on top of that, they will also be distributing the video to all Malaysian Ministries and selected Government agencies, to post on their respective social media accounts.
The video was created to raise awareness on the matter as many people are not aware that some of these masks are not effective against Covid-19. YB Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi, Minister of Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) along with the Ministry, officiated the launch of Neutrovis’ ‘Mask On, Spread Hope” campaign earlier this May for a similar purpose.
Commenting on the video launch, KPDNHEP Secretary General, YBhg. Datuk Seri HJ. Hasnol Zam Zam Bin Hj. Ahmad said, “The consumer’s safety is on top of our priority here at KPDNHEP. Through this video, I hope that everyone is well educated and informed on the different types of masks in the market and their efficiency against Covid-19. I would like to remind everyone to come together as we battle this pandemic together; stay at home, wear effective face masks, and protect your loved ones.”
The video featured Dr. Felicia Soong, Medical Director of Clinic Rui, where she showcased four (4) types of commonly used masks – cloth masks, disposable masks, medical masks, and the N95 masks.
In the video, she mentioned that cloth masks are made to look appealing for fashion use and can only filter out dust particles. Disposable masks can block out dust and aerosols, but not bacteria or viruses. Medical face masks, on the other hand, can block out bacteria and viruses and prevent the spreading of saliva and nasal secretions.
The N95 masks are among the most effective in blocking out viruses and bacteria; they are commonly used in construction and health care settings where there is high exposure to dust, aerosol, bodily secretions, bacteria, and viruses – though some people might find it hard to breathe in the N95 masks.
Dr. Felicia Soong, Medical Director of Clinic Rui, said, “Though they look the same, they are not (referring to industrial face masks & medical face masks). A good face mask that offers adequate protection needs to be medical grade, a minimum 3-ply, and have high Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE) & Particle Filtration Efficiency (PFE) rating.”
The “CHOOSING THE RIGHT FACE MASK! WEARING IT CORRECTLY AND SAFELY” video was produced by KPDNHEP, in collaboration with Neutrovis, Clinic Rui, and Global Creative and Media Agency (GCMA).
