COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders
— from Brendan Cowan, Department of Emergency Management —
To be clear: Face shields have absolutely no ability to minimize the spread of droplets from someone infected with COVID. There is simply too much air flow around the shield for them to be effective. They
are not an acceptable alternative to cloth face coverings.
It is totally understandable why some might think that they work as well as cloth face coverings, but unfortunately, that is not the case.
As orders requiring face coverings have become universal in Washington and beyond, nearly everyone has experienced the inconvenience of a covered face. Most of us are aware that we’re doing this to protect others from possible infection should we be asymptomatic and infected, and not to keep ourselves safe- but highlighting that point is important.
Clearly there’s a desire to find more comfortable ways to meet the requirements. Face shields are not one of them. While face shields do offer limited protection to the wearer, they offer no protection to those around the wearer.
Washington Labor and Industries does not allow standard face shields to worn as a face covering in the workplace (see this L&I FAQ on face coverings).
However, there are some solutions out there that can be acceptable alternatives to standard cloth face coverings:
- For situations where being able to see the wearer’s mouth is important there are face masks with clear material available. Here is one example.
- There are also face shields that are acceptable- those with a fabric drape around the perimeter of the shield. They are not yet universally available, but here is one example.
In short: cloth face coverings are the simplest, most cost effective, and best solution for covering our faces. There are some alternative approaches that may make sense in limited situations. Standard face shields do not minimize droplet spread and are never an adequate substitute.
When you see someone wearing a standard face shield in a public setting, they should be thought of as not wearing any face covering at all.
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Thanks, Brendan, for this valuable information about face shields, with one qualification: if somebody coughed or sneezed in your direction, a face shield would block most of the larger droplets headed your way. But yes, it would not block the ultrafine aerosol droplets drifting in air.
In April, I noticed two Island Market employees wearing face shields and told one of them that it would not be very helpful compared to a face mask. She ignored my suggestion, but I have not seen her there recently.
If any mask is not sealed to the face, it is not going to protect you very well.
I can see how the Nazis took control over their society, people will go along with anything, no matter how ridiculous. You are being herded.
A closer look at the website for the supposedly “acceptable” face shield that Mr. Cowan has provided (https://www.rapidresponseppe.com/product/humanity-shield/) reveals that it costs a whopping $59.60 for ONE SHIELD. You read that right, ONE shield for $60. Are you kidding me? How many families out here can afford that? That is NOT acceptable AT ALL.
“When you see someone wearing a standard face shield in a public setting, they should be thought of as not wearing any face covering at all.”
So now we’re going to start demonizing people who cannot wear face masks due to medical conditions? How very bigoted and discriminatory. Domenic is right, Nazis indeed. After the county has sent all the face shield wearers to reeducation camps, are we going to start going after people who are wearing bandanas next?
People who cannot wear masks due to medical conditions should be at home. The community has organized volunteers to deliver groceries and other needed supplies for them. You can get free masks at Ray’s and other places. It’s a serious pandemic. Take it seriously.
You kids and your proclivity for comparing every little thing that doesn’t align with your personal narrative to the “nazis”…
Link to the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons on face masks ~ https://aapsonline.org/mask-facts/
From the New England Journal of Medicine: “We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection. Public health authorities define a significant exposure to Covid-19 as face-to-face contact within 6 feet with a patient with symptomatic Covid-19 that is sustained for at least a few minutes (and some say more than 10 minutes or even 30 minutes). The chance of catching Covid-19 from a passing interaction in a public space is therefore minimal. In many cases, the desire for widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic.”
Lets look at the facts.
Thank you Brian, for your effort to leave no member of our community behind by offering a shield with frill as depicted that is acceptable to L&I and SJC. Our neighbors with medical constraints now have a viable option for re-entering the public square, truly a solutions oriented approach!
Ms. Lewis, a low cost shield ($9.99) can be found at arttofram.com, or on Amazon, that can be modified by addition of a frill. I suggest one made from a bandana, perhaps it can become known locally as D’Anna’s Bandana by those facing similar constraints (my family member included).
Mr. Demeritt, thank you for directing our attention to one of the few sane commentaries I’ve seen on this topic. News reports note 30 minutes of sustained exposures in ICU’s have been tested with virtually no ill effects. Regrettably the whole face covering charade has been politicized to the detriment of sound public policy.
CDC press release July 14 –
“In an editorial published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), CDC reviewed the latest science and affirms that cloth face coverings are a critical tool in the fight against COVID-19 that could reduce the spread of the disease, particularly when used universally within communities. There is increasing evidence that cloth face coverings help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others.
“We are not defenseless against COVID-19,” said CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield. “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally within a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.
Another quote from the NEJM article quoted by Mr. Demeritt: “There may be additional benefits to broad masking policies that extend beyond their technical contribution to reducing pathogen transmission. Masks are visible reminders of an otherwise invisible yet widely prevalent pathogen and may remind people of the importance of social distancing and other infection-control measures.”
Abbreviated abstract from a recent addition to a very active worldwide discussion, by a pair of statisticians, published in Health Affairs in mid-June, open access (https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/pdf/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00818):
“State policies mandating public or community use of facemasks or covers in mitigating the spread of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) are hotly contested. This study provides evidence from a natural experiment on the effects of state government mandates for facemask use in public issued by fifteen states plus Washington, D.C.,between April 8 and May 15, 2020….Estimates suggest that as a result of the implementation of these mandates, more than 200,000 COVID-19 cases were averted by May 22,2020. The findings suggest that requiring face mask use in public could help in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.”
Sean
The mask is to protect others.
The AAPS is a fringe organization, not the AMA. Its principal goal is to eliminate universal health care programs and oppose government regulation of physicians. Rand Paul is one of its shining stars.
Antifa and Black Lives Matter don’t seem to be concerned with masks, or protecting ANYONE.