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The FEND Nasal Spray: The Invisible Facemask that stops COVID Spread​

FEND all-natural nasal spray to stop covid spread

The FEND Nasal Spray: The Invisible Facemask that stops COVID Spread

Sensory Cloud, a healthcare startup that sprung out of Harvard University has developed, a nasal spray that can be inhaled by a person infected with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Inhaling this spray will prevent the person that inhaled the spray from spreading the virus to other people. This nasal spray is an all-natural drug-free salt-based liquid made of ingredients found in ocean water.

The scientific underpinnings and effectiveness of this all-natural nasal spray, dubbed the “invisible mask” by its inventors, were published in the journal Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics Discovery on July 7th, 2020. This invisible facemask (nasal spray) will soon undergo clinical trials and human trials. It is expected that the nasal spray will be available for sale to the general public by September of 2020.

A conventional facemask cannot effectively block droplets that are smaller than 1 micrometer in dimensions. However, sub-micron droplets constitute the majority of the particles that we breathe out of our mouths and noses.

It is known that the COVID-19 pathogen spreads through these aerosols that we exhale when we breathe. Therefore, a conventional facemask alone cannot stop the aerosol spread of COVID-19 from an uninfected person to an infected person.

However, salt-based aerosol, when inhaled, can clear the nasal airways of these sub-micron aerosols that are vehicles for COVID-19 transmission. This means that if you inhale such a salt-based spray, the particles (that might contain COVID-19) that you exhale while you breathe will be greatly reduced. That way, you will not spread the COVID-19 virus if you have the virus.

One of the authors of this research finding showed 17 years ago, during the outbreak of SARS, that nasal sprays can be used to stop the bioaerosol spread of SARS. This new spray is based on the same principle.

Furthermore, this new salt-based nasal spray is predicated on three earlier-known scientific observations about salt-based solutions:

  • The delivery of saline to the respiratory system diminishes the exhalation of small aerosol particles
  • Calcium and sodium salts appear to have antimicrobial properties
  • Chloride salts diminish viral replication

The nasal spray, dubbed Fast Emergency Nasal Defense (FEND), consists of sodium and calcium salts mixed in a ratio that is effective for clearing the respiratory system of bioaerosols. The researchers found the optimum mixing ratio of these salts by experiment.

The FEND nasal spray requires a special nebulizer dubbed Nimbus, The FEND Mist Maker, for its delivery into the nasal pathways.

According to the official website of FEND, hellofend.com, the fend nasal spray suppresses exhaled droplets by up to 99% for up to 6 hours.

The use of FEND nasal spray is expected to be a complimentary hygienic practice in addition to handwashing with soap, social distancing, and using a regular (visible) facemask.

For the FEND nasal spray to be effective to stop the spread of COVID, it has to be adopted by everyone, even among people that have not been diagnosed with or show no symptoms of COVID. The big question is how well will this nasal spray be received.

This nasal spray can be preordered on the FEND website.

However, if you are interested in a physically transparent facemask, check out the VirusShield Ghost Transparent Facemask. This non-fabric, transparent, strapless respiratory shield is an alternative-design facemask for people who have difficulty breathing through conventional facemasks.

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