Aaand here we go again with the steadily increasing number of COVID-19 cases. It just proves that we are not even close to being out of the woods especially since we don’t know when the vaccines will be available to the general public in our country.
In the meantime, since it’s quite obvious that we will need to do this for at least a few more months, investing in comfortable, durable, and maybe even stylish protective wear just makes sense.
Our Go-To PPE
Since the pandemic hit Cebu, my family and I have made it a point to never leave the house without our masks and face shields… even if we’re just receiving packages at the gate. We can never be too careful these days.
Face Shield
A lot of people feel that face shields are kind of overkill, but I do think they serve a pretty good purpose. They protect my eyes from droplets that may potentially carry the virus, and they prevent me from touching my face (which I have a bad habit of doing). The face shield I’ve been using is from a Korean company called BLOCC. The material is very lightweight and clear; the design minimalist and ergonomic, making it very comfortable to wear. The surface has a special coating that also renders it scratch- and fog-resistant. Because of the way it’s shaped, there is enough space around the nose and mouth for face masks, even an N95. You wear glasses? Not a problem. The nose piece can be removed so you can wear both at the same time. There are a lot of imitations that have come out recently but one can tell the difference between those and the real thing. Get a genuine Blocc faceshield from the official distributor in the country, Blocc-Cebu on Facebook or authenticblocc.cebu on Instagram.
Daily protection with my Blocc face shield and Air Queen Nanofiber mask
Masks
For face masks, we are really liking the Air Queen masks and the Soom Lab Hyperpurifying Filter masks. They’re both made by the same Korean company using Nanofiber filter technology, which makes the material more breathable while keeping its waterproofness. These masks are shaped in a way that fits the face really well, and provides adequate coverage including the cheeks and the chin. I don’t get any fogging in my eyeglasses, which often happens to me when I use ordinary surgical masks. I also love the fact that while most face masks cannot be sanitized with alcohol because this will reduce its filtering efficiency, this is not the case with the nanofiber masks. They can be sanitized with alcohol and reused up to 10 times. (FYI — This is not recommended if you are directly caring for COVID-19 patients. In that case, I recommend you invest in medical-grade N95 masks. This is just for regular everyday wear.) We get our masks from 2lipOnlineshoppe-PH on Facebook.
Honestly, I believe that the key to beating this pandemic is to have concern for others. We need to want to protect each other. It’s important to remember that while we might think catching the virus is no big deal because we’re relatively young and healthy, there is a risk of passing it on to people who might be more vulnerable, like the elderly and those who have chronic illnesses like hypertension. We need to keep that in mind. If we behave as if we are carriers of the virus and wouldn’t want to infect others, we will be more diligent with our handwashing; we’ll wear our PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) properly and religiously, and we’ll stay home as much as possible. It’s undoubtedly a sacrifice of convenience, but well worth it if it gets us back to normal faster.
Here’s hoping we’ll see the end of this thing soon. Until then, stay safe!
Comments