Dan Perkins: In A World of Mask Debates, Not All Are Created Equal

Medical experts recommend wearing masks to protect against both spreading and getting infected by coronavirus. The principle is simple: Viruses spread in tiny droplets we breathe, cough or sneeze out. Even speaking can spread the potentially dangerous droplets around.

But masks provide some level of passive protection by blocking most of the droplets from getting airborne. Masks aren’t perfect, and no one has argued they are. But they provide a layer of protection somewhat like a wall high fence around your yard. The vast majority of what you want to keep out, will be.

A new fabric mask provides another type of protection. It’s called the V-Shield, and it functions differently from either medical N95 masks or commercial or homemade cloth masks. Those types of masks either repel the droplets at the surface or absorb them, but in both cases if the droplets contain viruses, the viruses remain active and capable of infecting humans for some time.

Not so with the V-Shield. This mask has a virus disabler: Coronavirus and other types of viruses, bacteria are substantially impaired on contact; a potential game-changer in face mask technology.

How Does New Lactoferrin COVID Mask Work?

Well the simple answer is, with the aid of an organic protein called lactoferrin. Lactoferrin is a protein found in milk that’s known to help the human body’s ability to battle infections. It disables viruses on the spot, so they cannot reproduce or cause infections. Wearers of the V-Shield get double protection according to Dr. Jorge Osorio of the University of Wisconsin. His lab led testing of the V-Shield’s protein protective layer.

“This particular mask is effective not only in protecting you, but also protecting others because even with someone who might be shedding COVID, but might not know they’re infected because some folks don’t have symptoms, but they can still be transmitting the virus to other people. This mask works really well in avoiding that transmission,” Dr. Osorio said in a recent interview.

The V-Shield mask really is revolutionary. It’s made of biodegradable fabric that’s coated with a patented blend called Viruferrin. Viruferrin contains lactoferrin and this binds to the mask’s fabric to provide a lethal shield to bacteria and viruses while doing no harm to humans at all. Lactoferrin is abundant and natural. We consume it in numerous foods we eat and dairy products we drink. It’s harmless to us. But bad news for the virus.

“The V-Shield has the potential to provide a great number of people with protection while waiting for the vaccine and considerably curb human-to-human transmission of the virus before and after receiving the vaccine,” Dr. Osorio said.

Actually it’s bad news for more than just the coronavirus. The common flu viruses, common cold, and other viruses come out on the losing end when coming into contact with lactoferrin.

There’s even more good news: “Lactoferrin...is a protein that in this case can be used to coat the fabric...The protein stays there. It’s very stable, the fabric can be washed,” Osorio noted. The V-Shield mask holds up to being washed up to 5 times without losing its effective protein shield.

So instead of an 8-foot fence, you might think of the Virustatic Shield mask as a taller fence with motion-detector enabled lights and cameras that automatically alert the police, who respond and are present immediately, if an intruder is detected in your yard.

Game-Changing New Mask Aids in Fight Against COVID

Even after vaccines and herd immunity may protect most of us from COVID-19 and its variants, viruses are never going away. They will always be around, and new ones will inevitably arise. The V-Shield will keep providing protection against seasonal viral and bacterial ailments, perhaps especially for those of us who are most vulnerable to them.