LEGO is making 13,000 Face Visors A Day To Protect Healthcare Workers
The Danish toy company has modified some of its molding machines to produce the visors, which can protect health care workers against infection.
LEGO is making protective face visors for health care workers treating coronavirus patients in Denmark.
“This week we began to make visors at our factory in Billund for healthcare workers on the frontline in Denmark,” the company said in an April 9 Instagram post. “We are so incredibly proud of the team who made this happen. They worked around the clock to create designs and make moulds that can produce more than 13,000 visors a day.”
The Denmark-based team modified some of its molding machines to manufacture Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) — specifically the face visors.
The visors, which simply consist of handles and a long plastic film, offer additional protection against the coronavirus, which the CDC says can potentially enter the body through the eyes, nose and mouth. When used in combination with face masks, the visors can also offer greater protection against coughs, sneezes and other body fluids.
Michael Edmond, an infectious diseases physician and hospital epidemiologist in Iowa City, IA, reiterated the shields’ effectiveness and availability in an April 11 blog post.
“The advantages of face shields are their durability allowing them to be worn an indefinite number of times, the ability to easily clean them after use, their comfort, and they prevent the wearer from touching their face,” he wrote. “Importantly, they cover all the portals of entry for this virus--the eyes, the nose, and the mouth. Moreover, the supply chain is significantly more diversified than that of face masks, so availability is much greater.”
LEGO also announced late in March that it will donate $50 million through the LEGO Foundation to support children in need through Education Cannot Wait. It also launched the campaign #letsbuildtogether across its social platforms, which aims to inspire families to have fun and play at home.
According to the Johns Hopkins University Tracker, Denmark has confirmed over 6,800 cases, which have led to over 300 deaths.