People are being urged, in addition to face masks, to now wear goggles. This newest addition, by Dr. Anthony Fauci, is suggested as an extra added measure of protection against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Fauci proclaimed to be the top US expert in infectious disease, said: “If you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it.”
When asked in an interview conducted Wednesday, if somewhere down the road, a formal recommendation to wear eye protection will be announced, his reply was: “It might, if you really want perfect protection of the mucosal surfaces.”
Current member of the White House task force on the pandemic, Fauci went on to explain the rationale for such a suggestion. He offered that we not only have mucosa in the mouth, and mucosa in the nose, but there is also mucosa in our eyes. With the current coronavirus pandemic, we need to protect all surfaces of the mucosa, so if you have an eye shield, such as goggles, it is best if you use it.
The use of goggles or an eye shield is not currently universally recommended. However, if you want to protect truly yourself as efficiently as possible, then the use of googles is needed.
Fauci was asked when it was best for those who have been exposed to the virus to get tested. At the current time, there are have been no official guidelines on when to test, from either the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Nation Institutes of Health (NIH).
Fauci stated that the same question had come up in one of the task force meetings, and the answer was the same—there are no recommendations at this time. He then went on to offer that he would suggest that five days would be a suitable timeframe for testing. Specifically, he suggests no earlier than three days and then no later than five days.
Fauci also drew attention to the wearing of masks to curb the spread of COVID-19, which will hopefully also limit the spread of the flu come this fall. He offered: “It is inevitable that we are going to have some degree of flu. I’m hoping that the wearing of masks and other coverings are going to not only protect us against COVID-19 but also help protect us against influenza.”
These remarks all came one day after Trump renewed his push for the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine to be administered to coronavirus patients.
Will we soon be mandated to wear eye protection in addition to masks?