Babies in this Hospital are Wearing Tiny Face Shields

Hospitals all over the world are taking new precautions during the coronavirus pandemic, but one hospital in Thailand is going viral for the novel way it is protecting babies from COVID-19.

At Praram 9 Hospital in Bangkok, newborn babies are wearing little face shields to help protect them, and the pictures of these tiny protective covers are going viral.

The face shields are attracting a lot of attention, but it’s important to know the babies aren’t wearing these constantly.

As Time reports, nurses at the hospital started making the little face shields because they were worried about mothers who had to take taxis or public transportation to get home after being discharged with their newborn.

Research suggests babies are more vulnerable to the virus than older kids are so staff at Praram 9 Hospital wanted to give the newborns something they could wear on the way home.

“The face shields were just for a short-term protection,” the hospital explained in a statement.

The shields are interesting to many people because babies under two years of age should not wear face masks. Unlike masks, these temporary shields allow babies to breathe without obstruction.

The masks are meant to protect babies from any respiratory droplets from adults around them coughing or sneezing, but they’re not meant to be worn all the time, the hospital stresses.

Still, in a time when new parents are stressed and nurses are overworked and overwhelmed, it is beautiful that these nurses took the time to come up with something to help parents who don’t have the privilege of taking their baby home in a private car.

Thank you to these nurses and our own nurses in the United States who are working so hard every day to keep mothers and babies safe during the pandemic.