(Plymouth Meeting, PA, Friday, September 25, 2020) – 60 to 70 percent of imported masks (KN95) tested by a U.S. patient safety organization are significantly inferior to those produced in the United States and do not provide the same protection against viruses like COVID-19 or the flu as domestically produced masks (N95s).

Due to the shortage of American-made PPE and the absence of a coordinated federal pandemic response, U.S. hospitals and health systems have purchased thousands of these KN95 masks. They continue to do so because of ongoing shortages of PPE.

Even if most of the made-in-China masks do not reach U.S. certification standard, there are still ways hospitals and health systems can safely use these masks to protect patients and healthcare workers.

ECRI’s Dr. Marcus Schabacker, president and CEO, discusses:

• What the research shows about the effectiveness of KN95 masks
• What are the hazards to patients and healthcare workers from using KN95 masks?
• How can hospitals safely use KN95 masks?
• Why is there still a shortage of made-in-America, certified masks?

Dr. Marcus Schabacker is president and CEO at ECRI, the nation’s largest patient safety organization. ECRI works to improve the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care across all healthcare settings. Learn more about ECRI at www.ecri.org.