Dr. Fauci recommends eye goggles, flu vaccine

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US top infectious disease specialist suggested on Wednesday that Americans should consider wearing goggles or a face shield to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.
• In another meeting, Fauci said that people who feel that they had been exposed to the virus need to test ideally within three to six days.
• The doctor also advises Americans to get a flu shot as the flu season is already approaching.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said in an Instagram Live conversation with ABC News on Wednesday that Americans should consider a face shield and eye protection, too, in the aim to prevent spreading or catching COVID-19.

“If you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it,” he told ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton. He explained that there’s also mucosa in the eye and people “should protect all the mucosal surfaces.”

Fauci added that goggles and face shields are “not universally recommended” at this time, “but if you really want to be complete, you should probably use it if you can.”

In another meeting held on Tuesday, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases also discussed when people should get tested. Since there are no official guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the National Institutes of Health on when to get tested, Fauci’s personal recommendation is five days after one thinks that he is exposed to the virus.

“I would think that five [days] is good. I might even go a day or so early because the incubation period of when you get symptoms is about five days.” The doctor added that the window is “no earlier than three [days] or no later than five or six.”

The oncoming flu season was also a concern for Fauci. “It is inevitable that we’re going to have some degree of flu,” he said. “I’m hoping that the wearing of masks and other coverings are going to not only protect us against COVID-19, but also help protect us against influenza.”

The doctor advises people to get flu shot when the flu vaccine becomes available.

So far, the novel coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 662,000 people worldwide and infected more than 16.8 million people across the world, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Currently, the United States is the worst-affected country, with more than 4.3 million diagnosed cases and over 150,000 deaths.

In a call with governors on Tuesday, Fauci and White House’s coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx addressed Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana — the four states that are struggling to get the virus in check.

Source: ABC News