How effective are plastic face shields at reducing the spread of COVID-19?Ī new study published in Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, used visualizations to examine and illustrate how effective plastic face shields are at reducing the spread of COVID-19. Joy Henningsen, clinical assistant professor, VAMC Section, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, noted that plastic face shields work best to “protect the wearer from an infected person when used with a mask.” However, while plastic face shields do provide a barrier of protection, droplets in the environment can still be inhaled through the open areas around the plastic visor. “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. “The primary mechanism of transmission of COVID appears to be via droplets,” he said. Edmond, MPH, MPA, MBA, chief quality officer and associate chief medical officer for University of Iowa Health Care, and clinical professor of infectious diseases at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, plastic face shields can reduce the risk of contracting the virus.

Instead, experts recommend plastic face shields only be used as a supplement to cloth face coverings, not in lieu of themįace shields can help reduce the spread of COVID-19Īccording to Dr. However, medical experts say a plastic face shield does not provide adequate protection from COVID-19 when used by itself. Visit our coronavirus hub and follow our live updates page for the most recent information on the COVID-19 pandemic.Īlthough 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 - some people are turning to plastic face shields for protection as they can be more comfortable. Wearing them along with a face mask is recommended as the best way to protect yourself.Īll data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication.However, plastic face shields do not provide adequate protection from COVID-19 when used by themselves as an alternative to cloth face masks.Face masks remain at the core of the CDC’s recommendations for protecting yourself and others against COVID-19.Share on Pinterest Plastic face shields can provide additional protection from COVID-19, but experts say they should only be used as a supplement to cloth face coverings, not in lieu of them.

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