FILE PHOTO: People wearing face masks and face shields. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANILA, Philippines — No less than Senate President Vicente Sotto III wants to know – via a legislative inquiry – about the efficacy of wearing a face shield to thwart the spread of the deadly COVID-19 disease.
Sotto filed Senate Resolution No. 757, calling for the Committee of the Whole investigation as well as evaluation of the prevailing health and safety protocols of the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Senate leader cited in his resolution the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States which stated that “face shields are not as effective at protecting you or the people around you from respiratory droplets.”
“Face shields are only an alternative for people who are not [advised] to wear masks,” the resolution noted.
He also pointed to a study in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJC), which indicated that “surgical masks alone provided good protection, surpassing the protection provided by face shields alone.”
“If mask and face shield are used together, the combined protection was similar to surgical masks use alone,” the resolution also said.
“Mask and/or shield together showed no significant improvement compared to masks alone. When face shields were used in combination with masks no significant improvement was observed as compared to masks alone,” it added.
Further, Sotto stressed the financial burden of buying face shields for the “marginalized and poor.”
“Face shields are very costly for something that does not afford protection against the virus,” the resolution noted.
Sotto filed the resolution following the government’s quickly changing policy of face shield use. The last Palace announcement was that President Rodrigo Duterte declared that wearing of face shields remains mandatory indoors and outdoors.
READ: Palace: ‘Flip-flopping’ COVID-19 policies called for by ‘supervening events’
To recall, Sotto asked government officials during a Senate committee of the whole hearing last week if they have considered “discontinuing” the mandated use of face shields in the country.
In response, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the use of face shields coupled with face masks and social distancing would provide “greater than 95 percent protection” against COVID-19, even citing various scientific studies.
READ: ‘Sinong genius nambola sa gobyerno?’ Sotto asks on DOH mask, shield policy
Sotto then requested the submission of said studies and a list of countries that are mandating the use of face shields.
The Department of Health (DOH) submitted its report to the Senate last June 21, according to Sotto.
He said the DOH report showed that no other country in the world mandates the use of face shields on top of face masks.