Face shields help prevent COVID-19 transmission, Philippine Medical Association says

The use of face shields will help prevent the transmission of COVID-19, the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) said on Saturday.

"Para sa amin ay magsuot pa rin ng face masks, face shield, maghugas ng kamay,  at sumunod pa rin ng physical distancing. Malaki ang maitutulong sa proteksyon laban sa COVID-19 ang pagsusuot ng face masks at face shield," PMA president Dr. Benito Atienza said in an interview on Dobol B TV.

(For us, one should still wear face masks, face shield, wash hands, and observe physical distancing. 

Atienza made the comment after Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Wednesday urged the national government to stop requiring the public to wear face shields outside their homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreno said the Philippines is the only country in the world which still requires wearing a face shield when going out.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday said the time is not yet right to lift the policy requiring the wearing of face shields in public areas, noting the Philippines’ low COVID-19 vaccine coverage so far.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government on Thursday thumbed down Moreno's suggestion to stop requiring the public to wear face shields outdoors amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said the national government will only lift the face shields policy once “herd protection” is achieved.

Still, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases will thoroughly study the suggestion of Moreno, Malaya said.

Infectious diseases expert Dr. Edsel Salvana on Friday also said the time is not yet right to eschew such "added layer of protection."

The OCTA Research Group, meanwhile, has yet to make an assessment on whether wearing a face shield has been effective in curbing infections.

“More work and data is needed to assess this particular intervention, this particular PPE (personal protective equipment) so we haven’t decided on a position (yet),” OCTA Research fellow Ranjit Rye said on Friday.

The Philippines’ tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 1,255,337 on Friday after the Department of Health reported 7,450 new infections.

Of the total number, 60,794 are active, 1,173,006 recovered, and 21,537 died. —KG, GMA News