Inspiration! Masks modified by school students

10,000 face masks, which didn’t meet the expectations for use by frontline hospital staff, have been upgraded thanks to the ingenuity of staff and students at Kinsale Community School Co. Cork.

The masks, which were imported from overseas, didn’t have an adequate seal around the nose and were irritating those wearing them behind the ears. 

The students and staff worked together to come up with solutions to the problems and made two key modifications to the masks. The first one being a strap to alleviate the pressure behind the ears and the second was a clip at the bridge of the nose.

The upgraded masks are now being used by staff at Cork University Hospital (CUH).

These students successfully turned a hobby into a project which now sees them providing lifesaving equipment, with further research being done on the design of new masks.

Watch the full news story on the RTE Player here.