Japan Researchers Use Ostrich Cells to Make Masks That Glow on Detecting COVID-19

The Japanese have made a surgical mask that will glow under ultraviolet light after being used by a COVID-19 positive individual.

One of the most difficult and challenging obstacles that need to be overcome during the pandemic was testing individuals who have been infected. By the time the PCR results were released, the infected person would have spread the virus or broken several self-quarantine rules.

While many researchers have come up with numerous ways to fasten the result delivery, the latest one in its final stages of approval is the glowing mask test developed by Japanese researchers.

While many animals were also affected during the pandemic, Ostriches showed the highest resistance against the virus throughout the year. Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team at Kyoto Prefectural University in western Japan had been studying the bird for a decade now to find out a way to utilize the bird’s immunity in preventing flu and other common diseases in poultry farms.

Tsukamoto and his team have developed a special chemical that needs to be sprayed on the mask after use to be able to detect the presence of the virus, Tsukamoto was the first person to find out his own infection during the study through this method.