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University of Iowa experts warned this week that premature easing of social distancing rules could spark a coronavirus surge, adding that encouraging the public to wear plastic face shields could substantially reduce the danger.
“The relaxation of interventions to contain COVID-19 too early is expected to lead to a large increase in daily infections. Absent any additional measures to keep the outbreak from spreading, such an approach is still expected to yield more infections and hence deaths than more intensive interventions,” the health researchers wrote in a report they sent to the Iowa Department of Public Health on Tuesday.
Gov. Kim Reynolds' office released the report Wednesday.
Over the past few weeks, Reynolds has lifted many restrictions on businesses and social gatherings. This week, she announced that casinos and amusement parks could reopen. She previously announced that bars, restaurants, malls, movie theaters and zoos could reopen.
She has said the state's ability to deal with the virus has stabilized enough that Iowa can start to reopen its economy while continuing to protect those who are most vulnerable to deadly complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
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“Our recovery is contingent upon our ability to protecting both the lives and livelihoods of Iowans. We can’t prioritize one over the other. We must prioritize both to move forward,” Reynolds told reporters Tuesday.
She said Iowans have made and will make smart decisions about keeping themselves and others healthy.
"Iowans are doing a great job, and we need them to continue to do what they're doing and we're going to continue to see the positive outcomes," the Republican governor said last week.
Social distancing helped
The UI researchers, including epidemiologists and biostatisticians, have sent three reports to Reynolds since April.
The report released Wednesday reinforces the view that social distancing rules implemented in mid-March prevented thousands of infections. The outbreak would have been significantly worse if the governor had waited even a week or two to order the restrictions, the researchers wrote.
The scientists said the widespread use of plastic face shields could dramatically reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The transparent shields cover people’s entire faces.
Cloth face masks, even if worn properly, cover only the mouth and nose, leaving the eyes open to possible infection.
“Face shields are durable, easily cleaned, reduce the potential for autoinoculation by preventing the wearer from touching their face and, most importantly, significantly reduce the amount of inhalation exposure to viruses,” they wrote.
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Reynolds has encouraged Iowans to carry cloth face masks so they can put the masks on if they find themselves in a situation where they can’t stay six feet away from others.
The governor’s office released the latest UI report after her mid-morning Wednesday news conference. Her staff did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
The UI professors' report included a link to their new website, covid-19.public-health.uiowa.edu, which will allow the public "to explore the impact of relaxing social distancing to various degrees on various dates," and to see how using face shields and other equipment could affect the virus' spread.
"We hope this website will be a useful resource for all Iowans, particularly our state’s community and business leaders as they make difficult decisions about reopening," Professor Joseph Cavanaugh, head of the university's biostatistics department, wrote in an email to the Register. He said the researchers hope to start sharing such information in early June.
"As individuals, we’re confronted with an ominous problem on a macro level, but we can use public health information to make decisions at a micro level," Cavanaugh wrote. "For instance, my own decision as to whether to wear a facemask or face shield in public, and whether to adhere to social distancing recommendations, may be influenced by an understanding of how these practices could slow the epidemic if widely adopted."
As of Wednesday afternoon, the state had reported that 495 Iowans had died of COVID-19, including 114 in Polk County. The state's figures showed that more than 18,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus.
https://www.press-citizen.com/story...avirus-surge-suggest-face-shields/5268562002/
University of Iowa experts warned this week that premature easing of social distancing rules could spark a coronavirus surge, adding that encouraging the public to wear plastic face shields could substantially reduce the danger.
“The relaxation of interventions to contain COVID-19 too early is expected to lead to a large increase in daily infections. Absent any additional measures to keep the outbreak from spreading, such an approach is still expected to yield more infections and hence deaths than more intensive interventions,” the health researchers wrote in a report they sent to the Iowa Department of Public Health on Tuesday.
Gov. Kim Reynolds' office released the report Wednesday.
Over the past few weeks, Reynolds has lifted many restrictions on businesses and social gatherings. This week, she announced that casinos and amusement parks could reopen. She previously announced that bars, restaurants, malls, movie theaters and zoos could reopen.
She has said the state's ability to deal with the virus has stabilized enough that Iowa can start to reopen its economy while continuing to protect those who are most vulnerable to deadly complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Track the latest in Iowa. Get our Coronavirus Watch newsletter in your inbox.
“Our recovery is contingent upon our ability to protecting both the lives and livelihoods of Iowans. We can’t prioritize one over the other. We must prioritize both to move forward,” Reynolds told reporters Tuesday.
She said Iowans have made and will make smart decisions about keeping themselves and others healthy.
"Iowans are doing a great job, and we need them to continue to do what they're doing and we're going to continue to see the positive outcomes," the Republican governor said last week.
Social distancing helped
The UI researchers, including epidemiologists and biostatisticians, have sent three reports to Reynolds since April.
The report released Wednesday reinforces the view that social distancing rules implemented in mid-March prevented thousands of infections. The outbreak would have been significantly worse if the governor had waited even a week or two to order the restrictions, the researchers wrote.
The scientists said the widespread use of plastic face shields could dramatically reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The transparent shields cover people’s entire faces.
Cloth face masks, even if worn properly, cover only the mouth and nose, leaving the eyes open to possible infection.
“Face shields are durable, easily cleaned, reduce the potential for autoinoculation by preventing the wearer from touching their face and, most importantly, significantly reduce the amount of inhalation exposure to viruses,” they wrote.
Add coronavirus to "My Topics" in our app to get alerted to each new article. Download our app to get started.
Reynolds has encouraged Iowans to carry cloth face masks so they can put the masks on if they find themselves in a situation where they can’t stay six feet away from others.
The governor’s office released the latest UI report after her mid-morning Wednesday news conference. Her staff did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
The UI professors' report included a link to their new website, covid-19.public-health.uiowa.edu, which will allow the public "to explore the impact of relaxing social distancing to various degrees on various dates," and to see how using face shields and other equipment could affect the virus' spread.
"We hope this website will be a useful resource for all Iowans, particularly our state’s community and business leaders as they make difficult decisions about reopening," Professor Joseph Cavanaugh, head of the university's biostatistics department, wrote in an email to the Register. He said the researchers hope to start sharing such information in early June.
"As individuals, we’re confronted with an ominous problem on a macro level, but we can use public health information to make decisions at a micro level," Cavanaugh wrote. "For instance, my own decision as to whether to wear a facemask or face shield in public, and whether to adhere to social distancing recommendations, may be influenced by an understanding of how these practices could slow the epidemic if widely adopted."
As of Wednesday afternoon, the state had reported that 495 Iowans had died of COVID-19, including 114 in Polk County. The state's figures showed that more than 18,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus.
https://www.press-citizen.com/story...avirus-surge-suggest-face-shields/5268562002/
