Face shield vs mask

Here in town, we are in partial shutdown thanks to two new covid cases; however, we are not yet in full shutdown like Manila.

Masks are mandatory, and they will stop and fine you if you don't wear them. However, the only time we got stopped is when our maid sat behind the driver of the tricycle (on the back of his motorcycle), which at the time was forbidden, although I think that ban has since been lifted.

Our  mayor is instituting cheap wifi for everyone: And although we are a poor town, most folks have access to cellphones or even smart phones.

So the mayor puts all of his announcements up on his facebook channel to keep folks informed, and often his meetings are on youtube also: and notice something? No masks.  they are wearing faceshields.



the masks are being resented by a lot of yanks for some reason, and it's so bad that the President's campaign sent out emails to his followers to please wear one.

I think a lot of the resentment is just being stubborn, because masks, they insist, unless you wear the advanced expensive ones, don't stop the virus: 

what this ignores is that ordinary cloth or paper masks do work to stop spittle and saliva being spewed out when you talk, cough or sneeze, which means they protect others. (or as one of my medical school instructors noted: All they do is stop you from spitting into the wound when you talk when doing surgery.. when we approach really sick folk, we have the more advanced masks of course).

CDC guidelines on masks say they shouldn't be worn by those with trouble breathing. 

So what about face shields:

 CDC does not recommend use of face shields for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for masks. Some people may choose to use a face shield when sustained close contact with other people is expected. If face shields are used without a mask, they should wrap around the sides of the wearer’s face and extend to below the chin

AARP article about masks vs faceshields.

A recent opinion piece in JAMA by Eli Perencevich, M.D., a professor of internal medicine and epidemiology at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, and two of his colleagues pointed to such benefits of shields for infection prevention, and noted that “face shields appear to significantly reduce the amount of inhalation exposure to influenza virus, another droplet-spread respiratory virus. In a simulation study, face shields were shown to reduce immediate viral exposure by 96 percent when worn by a simulated health care worker within 18 inches of a cough.” In an April 19 tweet Perencevich wrote, “Biggest benefit of face shields would be inside crowded office situations where air exchanges aren't ideal."

the AARP article even has a DIY instructions on how to make one from a plastic bottle (I have seen these used here too)

DIY face shield tips

There are many online videos showing how to make your own shield in a few minutes, with different variations: a Canadian DIYer uses plastic binding covers you find at office supply stores; others use plastic bottles. (Note that these are not medical-grade or approved by any official health agency.)

This is one how to make a shield from an empty soda bottle.

You'll need:

• A 2-liter clear plastic bottle
• Cutting tool or scissors
• Small piece of weather stripping (others use packaging foam)
• Hole puncher
• String or ribbon

Directions:

1. Cut off the end of the bottle a few inches from the bottom
2. Cut off the top of the bottle, keeping a bit of the curvature, which will go under the chin
3. Cut up the middle, so it becomes a somewhat flat piece of plastic
4. Trim off sharp edges, and narrow a bit if necessary to fit the width of your face
5. Peel off the backing of a piece of weather stripping and stick it to the top edge, which will go against your forehead
6. Punch a hole at the top on either side, and thread a string or ribbon through
7. Tie it around your head

here is a video to show you how;

a lighter faceshield can be made with thicker clear plastic too: this one is for those with glasses:



oh well: since I usually only wear a mask when walking the dog or going to the bank, I'll stick with my cloth mask.

but I suspect that such face shields will gradually replace masks for those who have to wear protection for longer periods, since masks get moist and make breathing difficult after a short amount of time, especially here where the humidity tends to be high.