Do not use a face shield as it is not safe for preventing you from COVID-19 and its new strains

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to make face masks one of its primary recommendations for preventing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2  the virus that causes COVID-19 There is a bunch of people who are turning to plastic face shields for protection as they can be more comfortable. However, medical experts say a plastic face shield does not provide adequate protection from COVID-19 when used by itself.

What is a Shield Protector?

The face shield is a protective layer of plastic with a headband around, so you can wear it over your head, this way of protection is a common sight in doctors’ offices and hospitals. And as the pandemic leans on, they are becoming more prevalent among the public, too. One might think how effective are they when it comes to protecting against the Coronavirus?

Pros

One of the advantages of face shields is that they ensure the whole face, including the eyes, which alongside the nose and mouth can be a passage for the Covid and different germs to enter the body. The plastic board that dangles from the highest point of the brow and stretches out beneath the jawline forestalls enormous respiratory beads that are thought to convey the infection from arriving at these territories of possible contamination.

According to Dr. Michael B. Edmond, chief quality officer and associate chief medical officer for University of Iowa Health Care says, plastic face shields can reduce the risk of contracting the virus. “The primary mechanism of transmission of COVID appears to be via droplets,” he said.

“Face shields are excellent at preventing droplets from coming into contact with the nose, mouth, and eyes, which are the body sites that the virus enters to establish infection,” Edmond added.

Cons

Notwithstanding, while plastic face shields do give a hindrance of protection, droplets in the surrounding can, in any case, be breathed in through the open zones around the plastic visor. All things considered, specialists suggest plastic face shields just be utilized as an enhancement to fabric face covers, not in lieu of them.

Another investigation distributed in the Journal Physics of Fluids features a drawback of face shields with regards to controlling droplet spread. They utilized test dummy models and laser sheets, specialists and researchers found that when an individual wearing a face shield coughs or sniffles, a plume of airborne-sized droplet particles escapes from the holes in the base and on the sides of the shield.

“Over time, these droplets can disperse over a wide area in both lateral and longitudinal directions, albeit with decreasing droplet concentration,” study coauthor Manhar Dhanak, a professor at the Florida Atlantic University College of Engineering and Computer Science, said in a statement. “Masks are really about protecting others — that data is really strong,” Perencevich says. “Face shields are about protecting the wearer. If you have to be in the community, any kind of cotton mask or a medical mask and a face shield is really ideal protection.”

The people who discover masks uncomfortable and are looking for an option might be upset to discover that face shields have a couple of downsides, too. First off, they can be massive or bulky to wear, particularly the shields that fold over the sides of your face to boost protection. They can also get steamy and haze up. As well, people who wear face shields on top of their masks may discover they need to talk stronger and all the more obvious when speaking with others. With regards to public health mediations, you need to consider whether it’s pragmatic and will happen, every day. We are still not sure that if general society is prepared to take on a face shield instead of masks. Adding that additional layer might cause a burden on the face and probably be awkward for people.

Getting the most benefits from your Shield

Always wear a face shield with a mask

Cloth-covered faces protect others on a wider scale, you get the most benefits if you wear a cloth mask instead of your regular shield because anyhow you might contract the virus, which is not safe for anyone around you. Adding a face shield is the icing on the cake and assures protection to you, the wearer!

Make sure your shield fits you properly

The shield should come to the level of the chin or below in the front. Your shield should almost reach the ears on the sides and there evidently should be no gap between the forehead and the front of the shield unless there is a cover over the gap. Otherwise, a droplet could come through the gap and land on your face and you surely wouldn’t want that.

Clean and disinfect

Make sure to clean and disinfect your face shield after every use, preferably a chlorine-based solution. Alcohol can damage plastic and glues over time. Also, the chlorine will not destroy any antiglare layers on your shield.

You have multiple options with the protection, but you should always prefer a cloth mask overall because it will eventually cover up almost all the droplets for you, and the virus transmissibility rates lower down surprisingly!