The paper, published in The Lancet, says that most infections are presumed to be from inhalation or from people touching mucosal surfaces with contaminated hands, but evidence from the 1918 influenza pandemic shows that eyes are also an important route of infection.
One involving public health-care workers in Chennai, India, showed that 19% were infected despite wearing three-layered masks, gloves and shoe covers and using hand sanitiser. However, when they were issued with face shields, infections dropped to zero. Ken Boffard, professor of trauma surgery at Netcare’s Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, said the British study is “totally credible because you have the tear duct which goes down into the lateral duct”.
“Eighty percent of your Covid protection comes from a mask,” said Boffard. “But it can be passed on through any other moisture-laden surface that isn’t waterproof, such as your eyes. If it goes into the eyes and then down the tear duct, that’s a very valid point of transmission.”
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.