Germany tests masks for use in virus oubtreak

A special laboratory in western Germany is helping to bring additional protective masks to the German market to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The DEKRA Testing and Certification lab in Essen is one of the only two facilities in the country suitable for testing protective coronavirus masks.

"These tests are, of course, done in order to make breathing masks available to the market as quickly as possible during the pandemic crisis we are currently experiencing. Medical staff in particular, but also nursing staff, are urgently dependent on these masks. And the demand cannot currently be met by the normal manufacturers," said Dirk Wessels of DEKRA.

The objective is to ensure that the masks meet German certification standards.

Wessels said many of the tests have been commissioned by importers on behalf of foreign manufacturers, especially from China.

However, not every mask passes the test, he said.

"We have a relatively large number of shortcomings in the testing of the suitability of the masks," he noted.

Germany has over 137,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 4,000 deaths.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.