There are now more than 3.1 million people affected by COVID-19 around the world. But some countries have started to see declining cases, which prompted government leaders to consider reopening public places and resuming business operations.
The decreasing number of hospitalizations and deaths linked to the novel coronavirus can be good news to everyone. However, many people still fear that they could still get the virus.
That is why Italian design studio Designlibero created a new protective equipment that people could wear to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. The Bubble Shield provides a physical barrier to block droplets and particles in the air when people go outside.
The wearable tech is designed with fluorine-based plastic to provide a clear “personal environment.” It also includes a solar-powered backpack that powers an air pump compressor and fan, which purifies the air, designers Libero Rutilo and Ekaterina Shchetina told Business Insider.
Personal Protective Equipment Shortage
Personal protective equipment (PPE) plays a very important role in the fight against COVID-19. However, frontliners in many countries have been facing a shortage of the gear, which increases their risk of contracting the disease, especially in hospitals.
Healthcare workers in Germany and France recently launched unique campaigns to raise awareness about shortages of PPE amid the coronavirus pandemic. They posed naked and posted photos on social media highlighting that the lack of protective gear makes them highly vulnerable to the disease.
“We are your [doctors]. To be able to treat you safely, we need protective gear. When we run out of the little we have, we look like this,” the organizers said, as quoted by The Guardian. “We are all vulnerable. Medical practices need more support from politics.”
A spokesman for Germany’s Federal Ministry of Health said the government has already distributed nearly 133 million protective masks. The country expects to receive 15 million more face masks from China.
Similar protests occurred in France. Dentists also posed naked with the hashtag #dentisteapoil, or naked dentist, to inform the government about their work conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, New York Post reported Tuesday.
Officials previously required dental clinics to suspend operations and give their masks and other protective equipment to frontliners working directly with coronavirus patients. Dentists expressed concerns that as France prepares to reopen in May, they might work without enough PPE.