Coronavirus: Call for clear face masks to be 'the norm'
But one setting where homemade masks are not suitable - but where both PPE and communication are vital - is in hospitals.
Five hundred of these masks are being used at Brigham and Women's hospital in the US city of Boston. At the moment they are being reserved for staff to wear when they are speaking to patients with hearing loss, or vice versa. Sign language interpreters, who use facial expressions and lip movements alongside body movements to create more complex and culturally rich signs, also wear them.
"We've had glowing feedback from patients and we're getting broader requests from other parts of the hospital, especially the paediatric floors." Fizz Izagaren, a paediatric registrar at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey in the UK who is also deaf, says standard masks prevent her from taking patients' histories verbally. She also says she feels isolated at work because she is not able to speak to her colleagues.EPAThe elderly are both more at risk from coronavirus and more likely to have hearing loss
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Feelgood Files: Music Sensation Call Me Loop Reveals Her Beauty HeroesMusic sensation Call Me Loop talks Grazia through her beauty favourites, music mainstays and reels off her happy places. Read more on Grazia.
Read more »
Jack Ashton reveals personal reasons made one Call The Midwife scene hard for him to filmJACK ASHTON - who played Tom Hereward in Call The Midwife - has opened up about the scene he found the hardest to film due to personal reasons during his time on the BBC drama in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk.
Read more »
‘Turn back this wave of hate’: 100 writers call for an end to anti-Asian hostilityReports of hate crimes and violence against the Asian and Asian American community have surged since early in the pandemic
Read more »
Relatives of Armenian axed to death by Azeri officer call for justiceECHR is examining actions of Hungary and Azerbaijan over release of killer Ramil Safarov
Read more »
PS Plus June 2020 Call of Duty WW2 release date, unlock time, MEGA PlayStation Plus dealWow! Call of Duty WW2 is coming to PS Plus early. Here's when you can download and play the Activision shooter for free:
Read more »