Washing hands is basic hygiene that has been recommended even during the pre-coronavirus era. By just washing hands with soap, you could get rid of the germs in your hands. But it has become highly encouraged during this pandemic. In fact, it was one of the COVID-19 mitigation measures recommended by the WHO.
The reason why public health experts encourage the washing of hands is the way COVID-19 is transmitted. With the washing of hands as recommended, you can get protect yourself from catching the virus. But how does the coronavirus spread, and why is the washing of hands important? What about wearing gloves? Can gloves help prevent COVID-19? The article below answers all these questions.
How Covid-19 Spread And Importance Of Handwashing
Covid-19 spreads through mucus and droplets. When an infected person sneezes or talks, they drop saliva droplets and mucus and infect surfaces near them. If their hands are infected, they will infect any surface they touch. That include people they handshakes with.
If you touch the infected surface or shakes hands with the infected person, you collect the virus with your hands. So, if you touch your nose, eyes or mouth with the infected hand, you catch the virus.
Importance Of Hand Washing
Even if you’ve come into contact with the COVID-19 virus, you can reduce the chances of getting infected to zero. That’s if you wash your hands as recommended by the public health experts. You’ll be able to wash the virus off your hands. But you need to wash your hands the right way.
Washing hands with water alone will not eliminate traces of the virus on your hands. You need to apply enough soap all over the hand. Then, scrub the surface of the hands, including the back, and between fingers for 20-30 seconds. Rinsing the hands with running water is very important. Then wipe the hand dry using a towel or a clean cloth.
The importance of washing hands is to help avoid getting infected. Even if you have picked the virus, you can wash it off your hands with water and soap. But if you are in public, the use of sanitizer, of at least 60% alcohol, is recommended.
Can Wearing Gloves Help During This Pandemic?
Initially, people thought that wearing surgeon gloves would protect them from catching the virus. But what they didn’t know is that gloves work just like their bare hands. What gloves do is creating complacency on the part of the user. They give a false sense of security when outside. Just like your bare hands, gloves can pick up COVID-19. If you touch your nose, throat or mouth with the infected glove, you’ll catch the virus.
When You Should Wear Gloves
There are several situations when wearing gloves are crucial during this pandemic. A good example is when cleaning and disinfecting a coronavirus infected surface. You need to wear gloves to avoid getting infected.
If you’re caring for a COVID-19 patient in the hospital or even at home, you need to put on nitrile medical gloves. They are the best types of medical gloves for bacterial and virus protection. Latex surgeon gloves are also cheaper than the nitrile types.
Gloves are also recommended for food preparation. Wearing disposable latex food preparation gloves prevent you from passing the virus to others. You should wear gloves when preparing ready to eat food. Use one pair of gloves for every task.
Lastly, you must learn how to put on surgical gloves and remove them for proper protection. Wash your hands for 20-30 seconds and dry them before and after putting on gloves.