A new tool to fight the virus? While France is facing a new epidemic, driven in particular by the Omicron variant, more and more scientific and political figures are calling for the generalization of the FFP2 mask. This equipment, also called “duckbill” for its very recognizable shape, protects the respiratory tract against fine and toxic particles, dust and certain viruses.
“The FFP2 mask has a higher filtering power than the surgical mask. It protects us, ourselves, from being affected by the people in front of us. The surgical mask protects enough from infection that we might. to transmit”, Karine Lacombe confirms on LCI this Sunday.
“FFP2 has the best filtering power, it protects better in environments where the virus circulates a lot. This is for example the case indoors, in public transport. It is the best means of protection in dense areas of population, in a period when the virus is circulating in an extremely intense way “, adds the head of the infectious diseases hospital service at Saint-Antoine hospital.
However, this mask, especially worn by caregivers in the hospital, poses two problems. Firstly, “to tolerate it for several hours is quite complicated”, indicates the doctor. “We do it in the hospital and we know how hard it is”, she emphasizes. There is also a “second limiting brake” economic. FFP2 masks are therefore much more expensive than surgical ones, around 60 cents per unit, or € 12 for a box of 20 in pharmacies.