TAKING the world by storm is a report of a Bangkok hospital putting plastic face shields to protect newborn babies from coronavirus, PostToday reported this morning (12.4.2020).
An American who read the report and saw the photos said: “It is interesting to see that communities in Asia have these devices. As for us, we must struggle with only basic protective gear.”
Reporters and photographers of international news agencies such AFP and Reuters took photos of newborn babies at Rama 9 Hospital in Bangkok wearing these little visors leading to media outlets across the globe excitedly spreading the news. Among them are TIME and CNN in US and Sky News and Daily Mail in UK with there being many others that also did so.
There has been a lot of discussion about these tiny face shields in the social media. An example is ABC News report about this innovation attracting 32,000 likes and sad emoji.
One comment that attracted hundreds of likes says, “So adorable! God, please get rid of this virus, in particular, to protect innocent children!”
In a statement to TIME, the hospital explains that on Thursday the nurses had began preparing the babies to be discharged and taken home from the hospital. When the babies’ mother explained that she would have to take a taxi or public transport to get home, “the nurses worried about the babies’ well-being and they handcrafted the face shields,” the hospital says.
“The face shields were just for a short-term protection,” the statement continues. The hospital adds that it does not have any pediatric cases of Covid-19.
In a post on Facebook, the hospital reiterated that these face shields were for a “unique case” just for the babies’ journey home from the hospital and are not usually given to all newborn babies in the hospital. “Because safety is what we care about the highest,” the post said.
The Independent reported that another hospital in Samut Prakarn province has adopted the same measure.
CAPTION:
Adorable newborn babies well-protected with tiny face shields for their journey home. Photos: Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP
