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Face Shield Effectiveness

Scientists recommending face shields...

Scientists say the masks are intended more to protect other people, rather than the wearer. Recent articles are encouraging people to wear face shields...

5/8 News Max Health: Face Shields May be better than masks against coronavirus.

5/1 Business Insider " Why Face Shields May be Better Than Home Made Masks

4/30 Medical Press: "face shields may be a better option"

4/27 LA Times:  Q&A: Why face shields may be better coronavirus protection than masks alone

4/14  Iowa City:  "Every person should have a face shield" says epidemiologist Michael Edmond

 According to April 29, American Journal of Medicine, face shields have a number of advantages over masks. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began advocating the use of cloth masks to help stop virus transmission in April, laboratory testing "suggests that cloth masks provide [only] some filtration of virus-sized aerosol particles."

Face Shields are

  1. Endlessly reusable, simply requiring cleaning with soap and water or common disinfectants.
  2. Usually more comfortable to wear than masks
  3. Form a barrier that keeps people from easily touching their own .
  4. When speaking, people sometimes pull down a mask to make things easier—but that isn't necessary with a face shield.
  5. Allow visibility of facial expressions and lip movements for speech perception." 

Large-scale studies haven't yet been conducted. But "in a simulation study, face shields were shown to reduce immediate viral exposure by 96% when worn by a simulated health care worker within 18 inches of a cough."

"When the study was repeated at the currently recommended physical distancing distance of 6 feet, face shields reduced inhaled virus by 92%." For perspective, the recommended N95 masks that are virtually impossible to get, protect 95%.