By Chand Bellur
April 20, 2020 at 2:43 p.m. PT
- The novel coronavirus pandemic consumes massive amounts of personal protective equipment, resulting in global shortages.
- COVID-19 spreads through droplets; however, in some healthcare situations, the virus can be airborne.
- Face shields can limit the transmission of COVID-19 to healthcare workers.
- Apple recently donated one million face shields, and aims to ship one million per week.
- Additionally, Apple released documents to aid face shield manufacturers around the world.
Apple Provides Face Shield Manufacturing Instructions
Apple lept into action as soon as the novel coronavirus pandemic became an issue. Perhaps manufacturing woes motivated Apple to see the reality of the situation. After manufacturing facilities in the Wuhan area shuttered, the tech giant closed virtually all Apple retail stores in China.
It’s still unclear why the disease made it out of China. Virus transmission could have been undetected until late December, with infected people leaving the area as early as September 2019. There’s also a theory that China withheld information or the disease spread when a Chinese healthcare worker was infected. Others blame the World Health Organization, a body with no enforcement powers whatsoever. The WHO stands accused of not scrutinizing China’s disclosures.
Whatever the case, for now, we have to fight the disease with solidarity. The blame game won’t save lives, and Apple realizes this. Apple lost enormous revenues from the pandemic, with more losses to come. Instead of pointing fingers, this profit-motivated corporation is helping the world.
Apple donated millions of N-95 masks. A $10 million donation to the WHO further demonstrates Apple’s commitment to defeating COVID-19. Now, in addition to providing face shields, the company is providing technical documents so other manufacturers can create life-saving personal protective gear.
Detailed Face Shield Manufacturing Documents Available Online
Apple initially manufactured one million face shields. The company hopes to ship one million a week. This isn’t enough to meet demand. Given Apple’s expertise in industrial design and manufacturing, they created detailed manufacturing instructions for face shields.
Anyone who peruses these documents will quickly realize this is not for amateurs. Apple’s manufacturing guidance aims for large scale industries to create face shields. There have been smaller efforts by individuals to create face shields with 3D printing; however, this method isn’t as effective as large scale manufacturing. Every little bit helps, and the less productive endeavors are helpful, not futile.
Just today, the WHO warned that we still haven’t reached the peak of the pandemic. In the last 24 hours, almost 5,000 Americans have died — the most so far. Nonetheless, governments around the world are opening up society. After all, shutting down the global economy can’t last forever. Be prepared for the consequences.