A program of universal face shields at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston was tied to fewer COVID-19 infections, according to an article on the MedPage Today website. Researchers have also found the program has reduced overall hospital-acquired infections (HAI).

The 500-bed hospital, with more than 6,000 employees, implemented a range of infection control measures in April. This included surveillance testing and biweekly testing of staff in high-risk units. Asymptomatic patients were also tested on admission and day 7.

Face shields were added in June and  on July 6, the hospital recommended universal face shields for all staff, but went beyond what the CDC recommended, using face shields were for staff-to-patient interaction and staff-to-staff interaction.

Following the face-shield intervention, positive COVID tests  dropped from 22.9 percent to 2.7 percent. The change in the predicted HAI rate fell from 8.4 to 1.7 per 1,000 patient days.

A number of manufacturers have pivoted to help make sure enough face shields are available. For instance, the team of engineers at Robotic Research LLC has created a design for reusable face shields and is providing them to healthcare teams in hospitals around the D.C. area, according to a Yahoo Finance article.

The company also opened up its patented design of its sterile 3D printer by waiving licensing fees globally for any application of the printers related to fighting the current pandemic.

Read the full MedPage Today article