Fauci suggests goggles, eye shield for better protection against coronavirus
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, waits to testify at a hearing of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Capitol Hill on June 23, 2020 in Washington, DC. The committee is investigating
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, this week said wearing goggles or an eye shield in addition to a face mask would provide better protection against the coronavirus, according to a report.
“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,” he said in an interview with ABC News on Instagram Wednesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already recommends wearing a face mask that covers the nose and mouth in public, but the virus can also enter through the eyes.
Fauci recommended goggles in addition to a face mask for those who want “perfect protection” from the COVID-19, but admitted it’s not “universally recommended.”
He added one of the reasons eyewear hasn’t been recommended yet is “it’s so easy for people to just make a cloth mask.”
Heading into fall, Fauci said he encourages people to get a flu vaccine and hopes face masks will protect people from the flu as well as the coronavirus, the news outlet reported.
Not everyone responded favorably on social media to the idea of adding eyewear to facemasks. Some remarked the next step would be hazmat suits or living inside a bubble, according to Market Watch.
The United States is still outpacing every other country in the number of cases with more than 4.3 million and upward of 150,000 deaths.