By Pearl Gumapos
In line with recommendations on the removal of mandatory use of face shields in public places, the Department of Health (DOH) iterated that no single method can provide full protection against COVID-19, and that face shields provide another layer of protection against it.
According to a press release issued by the DOH, the set minimum public health standards like proper wearing of mask and face shield and regularly washing or disinfecting hands or high-touch surfaces are non-pharmacological interventions that will significantly help reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission and infection when consistently done and observed altogether.
“We understand the concerns raised on the government’s policy on wearing of face shields and we are open to dialogues in improving our health policies. However, the nationwide case trend is plateauing and not decreasing. The increase in cases is slowly shifting in other regions outside the NCR plus. With this trend, we cannot afford to relax the policies on personal preventive measures,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire said in a press release.
“We can consider loosening up these measures when we see a continuous significant decline in our daily COVID-19 cases and/or once a significant portion of our population, especially the vulnerable sectors, the elderly and then persons with comorbidities, have been fully vaccinated,” she added.
The benefits of using a face shield or face mask or both as published in various studies suggest that one may offer better protection than the other on specific scenarios or depending on the size of particulate matter the protective equipment is blocking, DOH said in the press release.
DOH added that one of the studies further underscores that the use of face shields alone would be inadequate, but the use of both face mask and shield can provide better protection against infections.
Meanwhile, a study by Bhaskar and Arun (2020) among community health workers in India, suggests that, after the introduction of face shields to 50 of the health workers who counseled 118,428 persons in May 2020, none of the healthcare workers were infected with COVID-19.
Following the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, the DOH urged the public to strictly observe the minimum public health standards and get vaccinated when it’s their turn to curb the transmission of COVID-19.
DOH also called on LGUs to strengthen the Prevention, Detection, Isolation, Treatment, and Reintegration (PDITR) Strategies for COVID-19 to keep case rates down and save lives. -rir
