Anthony Fauci Suggests Wearing Goggles, Eye Shields for Better Coronavirus Protection

July 31, 2020 Topic: Health Blog Brand: Coronavirus Tags: HealthEconomyFace MaskFace ShieldCoronavirusCOVID-19

Anthony Fauci Suggests Wearing Goggles, Eye Shields for Better Coronavirus Protection

“Theoretically, you should protect all of the mucosal surfaces (eyes, nose, mouth), so if you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it,” the 79-year-old director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in an interview with ABC News on Instagram.

White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has asserted that wearing goggles or an eye shield, in addition to a face mask or covering, would provide better protection against the novel coronavirus.

“Theoretically, you should protect all of the mucosal surfaces (eyes, nose, mouth), so if you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it,” the 79-year-old director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in an interview with ABC News on Instagram.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already recommended wearing a face mask that covers the nose and mouth, but it admitted that the virus has the potential to also enter through the eyes.

Fauci called the use of goggles and eye shields as “perfect protection” from COVID-19, but also said that it’s not “universally recommended.”

The nation’s top infectious disease expert also discussed when individuals should get tested for COVID-19 if they believe they’ve been exposed to the contagion.

Currently, there are no official guidelines from the CDC or the National Institutes of Health on when to get tested.

“That question came up at the task force meeting yesterday and we asked the same thing and we said there’s no real recommendation,” Fauci said.

“I would think that five (days) is good. I might even go a day or so early because the incubation period of when you get symptoms is about five days.”

Heading into fall, Fauci said he hopes people will get the flu vaccine when it becomes available and strongly believes that face masks and coverings will protect individuals from the flu as well as the coronavirus. 

“It is inevitable that we’re going to have some degree of flu,” he said.

“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.”

There are now more than 17.2 million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, including at least 672,000 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. has the most cases by far, with nearly 4.5 million confirmed infections and more than 152,000 deaths.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Minneapolis-based Science and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.