
SOUTH WINDSOR, CT – Have you found that cloth or surgical mask slipping off your face? A new Connecticut startup company believes they have a solution.
Connecticut Biotech believes its 3D-printed mask frame sold for around $39 will be more than a necessary accessory.
“It’s something that’s simple that works,” Don Vaccaro, CEO of Connecticut Biotech, said.
He said everyone knows that masks are an important way to curtail the spread of the virus, but that wasn’t a widely accepted idea when Dr. Cato Laurencin of the University of Connecticut and a group of graduate students first pitched the idea.
The mask frame is worn over a conventional surgical mask to fit the face and seal it from external air with potential virus particles.
Vaccaro, a serial entrepreneur who is also the co-founder of Ticket Network, said a study by the U.S. Department of Defense in April found that removing the air gaps in surgical masks increases the efficiency of filtration of particles greater than 30 nanometers.
“And you’re not taking those N95 masks away from the health care workers,” Vaccaro added.
ICU Nurse Kaitie O’Connor said she’s very proud that UConn was able to keep her and all of her co-workers safe during this time with these mask frames.

Vaccaro said their goal is to make the frames for health care workers who don’t need an N95 mask, but who need superior protection. He said they are also outfitting school systems, including 900 teachers in Middletown, with the mask frames.
“Those teachers will feel safer. Those students will feel safer,” Vaccaro said.
The mask frame slips over the surgical mask and is custom made for each persons face.
Using technology, a person sends in two photos of their face and the mask frame is custom fit for that person.
Production of one mask takes about three hours.
If the company is able to scale up for their facility then they may be able to produce 20,000 per day or about 600,000 frames per month, according to Vaccaro.
But scaling up will depend on how many institutional orders they receive and they are about 22 days behind at the moment.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal pointed out that there is no COVID-19 vaccine that’s been clinically tested.
Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!
“In the meantime, we’re going to be relying on masks, physical distancing, handwashing, and staying at home for the most vulnerable people who are at risk. Masks are our future,” Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal said the mask frame is a “seemingly simple invention” but mass producing a product that helps masks fit better “is potentially a lifesaver.”
More COVID-19 Coverage

COVID Transmission Increases in CT
As of Friday afternoon, Connecticut’s test positivity rate was 13.71% and there were 323 residents hospitalized with the virus. On Thursday, the Department of Public Health reported that 158 of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities qualified for the state’s “red alert” distinction for COVID-19, which is triggered when a community records at least 15 daily cases per…
Keep reading
Connecticut At High, Medium Risk of COVID Transmission
Connecticut’s COVID-19 test positivity rating was 10.35% on Thursday and all eight Connecticut counties were in the medium yellow or high orange categories on the CDC’s community spread map. Those community maps, created by the CDC in February, are supposed to tell people to take preventative steps such as masking and testing. Hartford, Middlesex and…
Keep reading
Advocates Make 11th Hour Pitch For Compassionate Release
Hartford, CT — Advocates seeking compassionate release from prison during public health emergencies like COVID rallied at the state Capitol hours before they saw their legislation die without action in either chamber. At the rally on Wednesday, protestors and advocates were demanding action from legislators to pass a bill that addresses COVID in prisons. The…
Keep reading
Legislating During COVID-19
The legislative session ends in three days now, that’s shorter than the amount of time someone should quarantine under CDC standards if they have COVID-19, so how are lawmakers coping? Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, started experiencing symptoms two weeks ago and tested positive for COVID-19. Luckily the session wasn’t scheduled until last Tuesday, but…
Keep reading
Study Shows Union Nursing Homes Had Lower Rates of COVID-19
A recent study published by Health Affairs found that unionized nursing homes had lower resident COVID-19 mortality rates. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing home residents have accounted for roughly one of every six COVID-19 deaths in the United States. Nursing homes have also been very dangerous places for workers, with more than…
Keep reading
Senator Murphy Tests Positive For COVID
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy announced on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19. “FYI after feeling mild symptoms overnight, I tested positive for COVID this morning. We’ve done the contact tracing and let people know. It’s a bummer, but I’m sure if I wasn’t fully vaccinated I would be feeling a lot worse. So remember…
Keep reading
COVID Cases Tick Back Up
Most of Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive orders, which were extended to April 15 by the legislature, have now expired just as Connecticut’s test positivity rate for COVID-19 is creeping back up and students at UConn are being asked to mask up again, starting today. According to the Department of Public Health, Connecticut recorded 3,939 positive…
Keep reading
House Green Lights Extension of COVID-19 Laws
The House gave final passage Wednesday to a package of four concepts that had been executive orders and are now law. Previously, the concepts were executive orders to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keep reading
Tong Tests Positive For COVID-19
Attorney General William Tong has tested positive for COVID-19. He is experiencing mild symptoms and quarantining at home.
Keep reading
Lieutenant Gov. Tests Positive For COVID-19, Days After Gov
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz tested positive for the COVID-19 virus during a routine rapid test over the weekend, her chief staff said in a Monday morning statement. Bysiewicz’s results follow Gov. Ned Lamont, who tested positive late last week. “I have tested positive for COVID-19,” Bysiewicz wrote on Twitter. “Thanks to the vaccine and booster…
Keep reading
Lamont Tests Positive for COVID-19
Gov. Ned Lamont tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday. The results from two rapid tests were positive and he’s awaiting the results of a PCR test, according to this staff. The 68-year-old governor received his second booster exactly a week ago, but has made it through the first two years of the pandemic without contracting the…
Keep reading
New Initiative Allows Same Day COVID Testing And Treatment
Hundreds of pharmacies and federally qualified community health centers across Connecticut are now offering COVID testing and treatments to patients at the same time and place. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these test-to-treat sites provide antiviral medication to hundreds of locations across the U.S, who then distribute them to patients…
Keep reading
YNHH Top Doc Boosts 2nd Boosters
If you’re eligible to get a second Covid-19 booster shot, go get it. Especially if you’re over 50 and have an underlying medical condition like diabetes that puts you at “high risk” of contracting a severe case of COVID. Read more from the New Haven Independent.
Keep reading
Federal COVID Funds To Limit Tax Relief In An Election Year
Like all states, Connecticut accepted billions of dollars from the federal government for COVID-19 relief, but that money limits how much the state can now consider cutting taxes. It’s bubbling up as a point of contention as lawmakers race to adjust the two-year state budget, which is currently experiencing a record surplus. Connecticut is expected…
Keep reading
Auditors Find West Haven Misspent A Majority of COVID Funds
An independent audit, released by Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration late Friday, found that roughly 80% of West Haven’s spending of COVID relief funds should not have been allowed due to ineligible expenses or insufficient documentation. The audit of how West Haven spent its $1.15 million in federal pandemic funding was conducted by CohnReznick and came…
Keep reading