COVID-19: FDA approves decontamination of N95 respirators for reuse

As the world is fighting against the coronavirus pandemic, the US Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization that has the potential to decontaminate nearly four million N95 respirators per day to be reused by health care workers in hospitals.

Hyderabad: The US Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization to a sterilization system that will allow about four million N95 or N95-equivalent respirators to be decontaminated each day. The sterilized respirators will be reused by healthcare workers in hospitals.

"Our nation’s health care workers are among the many heroes of this pandemic and it's our duty to provide them with the best of facilities. This authorization will help provide access to millions of respirators so our health care workers on the front lines can be better protected and provide the best care to patients with COVID-19," said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn.

The sterilization system helps address the shortage of these vital masks used by healthcare workers to protect themselves from exposure to the novel coronavirus.