COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continued to rise in the first week of January, according to the CDC. These trends are driven by the Omicron variant, which now accounts for approximately 98% of cases in the country and became the predominant strain in the US in mid-December. It is a “variant of concern” because it is highly transmissible, more so than Delta. Omicron appears to be able to evade some immune responses, especially in individuals who were previously infected but not vaccinated.
It is essential that every organization does its utmost to protect their staff and clients. Florida Nonprofits is doing our part in saving lives during this dangerous development. Thanks to a donation of 10,000 Viso Reusable Face Shields from Peter Solomon of Peter Solomon Design, you will be able to provide additional protection. On Tuesday, February 1, Florida Nonprofits will distribute these Viso face shields from the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce parking lot to any organization that needs them to provide additional protection to their staff and clients, beginning a 1 pm until they are all gone.
Dr. Eli Perencevich, a professor of internal medicine and epidemiology at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine has been published as stating “If you are working in a high-risk environment, so for example at a grocery store or in a restaurant, I think those employees should be wearing both [a face mask and a face shield] to protect others and themselves.” He also stated “Mask for others, face shield for themselves. I think that’s clearly the best workplace safety” because one study showed that face shields may be capable of preventing 96% of droplets from reaching your face.״
Viso Reusable Face Shields are high quality, practical, comfortable, and easy to clean and sanitize.
Members are encouraged to contact Marina (Marina@FANO.org) to discuss your needs or answer questions.
Although new variants are an expected part of the evolution of viruses, monitoring each one is essential, especially if a new variant is more aggressive, highly transmissible, vaccine-resistant, able to cause more severe disease—or all of the above. The World Health Organization (WHO) names new coronavirus variants using the letters of the Greek alphabet, starting with the Alpha variant, which emerged in 2020.
