July 7, 2020
Dear Members of the Baylor College of Medicine Community,
This week’s report on the number of Baylor community members who have been tested for COVID is available online. The testing is in three areas – surveillance, sentinel and symptomatic.
Healthcare Provider Eye Protection
New CDC guidelines indicate that healthcare professionals working in facilities located in areas with moderate to substantial community transmission of COVID-19 should follow standard precautions and transmission-based precautions as well as wear eye protection. At this time, face shields are now required for all healthcare providers during patient encounters in Baylor Medicine clinics and some of our hospital affiliate locations. Please follow the guidelines of the affiliate location that you are working in. Education about cleaning and labeling is found in the PPE Extended Use Guidelines during a Pandemic.
Face shields can be ordered for any employee or learner who desires one. Orders were coordinated through department administrators and training program directors. Please contact your leadership if you do not have a face shield and would like one. Face shields may be worn by staff working in non-clinical areas as a personal preference, but are not required. Face shields offer an extra layer of protection, but do not replace cloth masks. If you wear a face shield, it should be over your cloth mask. Be sure not to touch the front of the shield when removing it, wipe it down with a disinfectant wipe or alcohol and store in a clean, dry place. The face shields are entirely optional, for use at work or at home.
The following policy has been updated to reflect the new face shield recommendations: Mask and Face Covering Guidelines during Pandemic – 7.7.2020.
James McDeavitt, M.D.
Incident Command Center
