Over the past two months, millions of students in the United States are staying at home as many schools have been closed due to lockdowns.
According to UNESCO, coronavirus lockdown measure have partially or fully closed schools for more than 90% of the student population in the world, including 186 countries and territories.
In the Bay Area, many schools have been closed for six weeks already. But 9-year old Jayden Fadrigon from Holy Rosary Catholic School in Antioch is using his free time and computer skills to help frontline healthcare workers amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
3D printed face shields for front line healthcare workers
According to Jayden, he wanted to help people that work in the hospitals and other people in his community, so he built face shields using his 3D printer.
Using his hobby that he started when he was five years old, Jayden and his father came up with the idea to make face shields for their family members who are working on the front lines of the pandemic.
Jayden said that he wants to protect the nurses, doctors, and other frontline healthcare workers from getting the virus so that they can continue to take care of patients. So far, Jayden has already finished making 100 3D printed face shields and does not plan o stopping anytime soon.
He narrated, he wakes up in the morning then go downstairs and make some #D face shields every one hour and forty-five minutes. He does his homework while he waits for the 3D printer finishes printing the face shields.
Jayden's father, Darren Fadrigon, said that the boy has never stopped since April 12; the 3D printer is always on. The only time it stops is when they are asleep at night. Presently, Jayden's father has already delivered to five medical facilities in the Bay Area and local churches. As a sign of gratitude, nurses have sent Jayden selfies wearing their new protective face shields.
"He has always been very helpful. He always wants to help out in any way that he can," Darren commented on his son's good deeds. "Plus, he's a techie-computer person. He's a very creative person," he added.
Jayden hopes that his story will inspire other children to give back. He also encourages those with 3D printers to make more face shields for their community.
3D printers forge face shields for the fight against COVID-19
The demands for personal protective equipment such as face shields and N95 masks have increase because of the surge of patients infected with the highly contagious virus. Earlier, various reports on organizations and individuals helping fight the coronavirus through making 3D printed face masks have surfaced online.
One example is the high school teacher from New Jersey who used his 3D printer to make face shields has already distributed 200 of it to medical professionals across the United States, including Florida and Texas.
Another example is the community workspace nonprofit Maker Nexus, who has been running its 13 3D printers and three laser cutters nonstop to produce 1,800 masks for local hospitals. Now, the hospitals are requesting for another 13,000 more.
