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As the “profil” news magazine reports in its current issue, the Austrian Red Cross (WCC) ordered 20 million respiratory masks on behalf of the Republic from the same Chinese manufacturer that sold unusable products to South Tyrol. However, according to the Red Cross, different batches were ordered from those delivered to South Tyrol. The order still stands. Part of the order, i.e. 1.7 million masks, has already been received.
Economy Minister Margarete Schramböck (ÖVP) described the Red Cross order at a press conference on Thursday as “perfectly fine.” An order does not trigger delivery or payment. The masks were verified and compliance with quality standards was issued, the minister said. The Red Cross has launched a “supply chain”, of course, if the quality meets FFP standards it will be checked before the products are delivered.
Basically, batches from the same manufacturer would be “quite different,” Schramböck emphasized. In doing so, he indicated that defective masks should not necessarily be obtained.
The problem lies in the fit
According to the “profile”, quality problems should also have arisen with the masks previously delivered to Austria. “The masks have been tested and are currently labeled according to the identified protection class,” writes the CMI. And furthermore: “Part of the order corresponds to protection class FFP2, another part did not meet this standard, was devalued and will be used as protection for the mouth and nose. These tests could be used to define two batches corresponding to the protection class FFP2, the rest of the total of 20 million masks are obtained from these batches. This order was also made on behalf of the Republic and after the approval of the Ministry of Health. “
As the APA learned from the army that reviewed the South Tyrol masks, the problem with the masks lies in the fit and not the material. The fleece is fine, but the masks do not fit properly and are not sealed because they are designed for rounder Asian faces. In the opinion of experts, the masks move “with simple movements of the mouth” and “are also placed on the cheeks.”
Request to the Ministry of Economy
The SPÖ MP Max Lercher has consulted the Ministry of Economy, with which it wishes to clarify the processes related to the order of the mask of South Tyrol or South Tyrol. Meanwhile, the South Tyrol online portal “Salto.bz” reported that the South Tyrol medical company is said to have kept the test report from the Vienna Office for Weapon and Defense Technology (ARWT) secret about the delivery of the mask accompanied by a great presentation in the media in March. At that time, the material was not only transferred to Vienna by the AUA and brought to South Tyrol by the Armed Forces. Some of this should have been used in Tirol, but it was not used after the negative ARWT test and an additional test by the German company Dekra.
In Italy, on the other hand, masks are said to have been used in the medical field. The “standard” quotes the CEO of the South Tyrol medical services company, Florian Zerzer, with the fact that employees have been instructed to “pay attention to fit” and not to use it in intensive care units. Because wearing them as FFP2 skins is fine, says Zerzer. The opinion of the Office of Defense Armaments and Technology says that masks are good if their correct fit is verified. Meanwhile, these masks have been distributed throughout Italy.
