COVID-19 Sanitary Practices

Lets discuss in this separate thread best practices to minimize COVID risk.


We're told that washing hands will help.

But how much?

If you go out how do you get it on your hands? By touching someone else, a surface or money. Should we be using credit cards when making purchases, preferably contactless cards?

What about other parts of your body that may contact a surface or be sprayed by someone coughing. How much good does it do to wash hands and then possibly touch your infected clothing afterwards?

How should one wash hands? I know we're told thoroughly for 20 seconds. But, often you touch the faucet before and after washing. Assuming your hands infect the faucet should you use a paper towel to close it after you wash?

What about toilet tissue. Many times you need to stop the tissue from rolling while tearing. Will holding the tissue infect the roll?

Any ideas on this?


Surface contacts.

How long can that virus survive on a surface? Such as that dollar bill the cashier gives you which may have been handled by many.

How long on clothing, hair? We don't know.

Some assume its very short. If it is then why do we go through the effort of spray sanitizing facilities, as we've seen pictures of. Why not wait it out?


Your not going to get 100% comfort on these issues.  I've read, in the past, that the survival rate of viruses on surfaces depends on the material so you are not going to get a single answer about that.  Just play the odds and follow the advice that is out there on CDC sites etc.   


In my professional circles, handshakes and hugs are discouraged, expressly so at one upcoming conference I’m not going to because I don’t want to be on a plane. If you do anything you bump elbows.





bub said:

Your not going to get 100% comfort on these issues.  I've read, in the past, that the survival rate of viruses on surfaces depends on the material so you are not going to get a single answer about that.  Just play the odds and follow the advice that is out there on CDC sites etc.   

You're right about playing the odds.

But CDC being up things such as the likely hood of faucet contamination, cash contamination, etc. Right now we're getting the generic wash your hands advice. More detail could help. More what to do will help.

For example, if you get a non-perishable food delivery that presumably was handled, should you wait a couple of days before using it?

Can we really depend on the CDC for good advice considering the budget purges of many competent personnel? Also considering releases to the public will now have to be filtered through the office of a vice president whose answer to his states AIDS epidemic was "pray it away"?


I think you/we need to keep on an even keel about this.  It's not trivial but its not the Black Plague either. 

BTW, it seems that symptoms develop slowly.  You're not going to wake up one day gasping for air, even if you end up in the minority that contracts a severe case.   You'll be able to contact your doctor if it progresses to something worrisome.  


Coronavirus: Hong Kong expert claims outbreak is now a pandemic and US death could be ‘tip of the iceberg’

A top medical expert in Hong Kong believes the coronavirus epidemic can now be labelled a global pandemic, as it has spread quickly across several countries.

Professor Gabriel Leung, dean of the University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) medical faculty, added the first death recorded in the United States was worrying, as it indicated there could be more confirmed cases in the country.

However, the World Health Organisation has stopped short of calling the outbreak a pandemic, with director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying health officials had not yet witnessed the “uncontained global spread”, or “large-scale severe disease or death” associated with a pandemic.

But speaking on a radio show on Sunday, Leung said the death in the US could be “the tip of the iceberg”.

“One death could mean there are 100 confirmed cases in the region – and maybe you haven’t recorded as many cases just because you haven’t tested enough people,” he said.

“So while the first wave of outbreak could be getting under control in mainland China, the first wave outside China could be just starting. This seems to be inevitable.”


https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3053055/coronavirus-hong-kong-expert-claims-disease-now


France has told people not kiss each other during this health emergency. 
In Australia, we’ve been told to try to keep 1 metre away from each other when outside our homes, and if you have any symptoms then keep more space around you and self-isolate as soon as possible. 
My D and I have just ensured we each have bottles of hand sanitiser, and tissues for when we’re out of home. I joked in another thread about wearing gloves, really I’m considering lacy gloves when I go shopping (they’re pretty, and have a cloth palm). There’s a shortage of face masks in my city and a small cluster of confirmed cases linked to travel appears to be growing. I might also take soapy face washers for door handles, trolleys  etc - greener than wipes, and I can wash/sterilise them at home. 
Our family doc and our pharmacist assure us avoiding touching our faces, and ensuring we wear our glasses are as helpful as handwashing. 
The best thing is to not panic and stay healthy.  winkWhy handwashing works


Iran may be falling apart.


Thing may be bad in Iran but I'm not sure quoting "Ali" or any other obscure tweeter contributes to the pool of reliable info.  I doubt this guy is even in Iran.  Among his handful of listed likes is The Bible.  Just saying.  


I read that hand-washing, and keeping your hands away from your face (especially mouth and nose) before washing is recommended - basically the same as for the flu.

Because of concern, in local Catholic churches, the wine won't be shared during the Eucharist, only the bread, and the Sign of Peace will be a wave.  


The person who was being monitored in Monmouth County, per news reports yesterday, does not have Covid per reports this a.m. 


joanne said:

France has told people not kiss each other during this health emergency. 
In Australia, we’ve been told to try to keep 1 metre away from each other when outside our homes, and if you have any symptoms then keep more space around you and self-isolate as soon as possible.
Our family doc and our pharmacist assure us avoiding touching our faces, and ensuring we wear our glasses are as helpful as handwashing. 
The best thing is to not panic and stay healthy. 
wink
Why handwashing works

Avoiding touching faces can be difficult for some when not wearing a mask or glasses. I'm allergic and sometimes my eyes itch causing me to do that "automatic" eye rub.

I read 1 meter and also 2 (6 ft). No matter. Its a good reason why one should use the cashier less payment lanes. Here, many food stores have them. Also use contactless payment cards, if you  have them when the payment station accepts them. Wegman's has cashier free payment lanes that take contactless. Aldi, Whole Foods take contacless but all their lanes are cashier manned. It varies by store. Shoprite has cashier free lanes but not contactless. Sometimes you end up touching the credit card payment terminal when it asks if you want money back or to approve the amount.

The priority is to maintain distance from others.

I think all these things through to be prepared. But I wouldn't worry and really do this unless there is a real COVID threat in our local communities.


WHO came out with guidelines on sanitary and other practices. Its three PDF files.

Previously, I wrote, what should we do with the faucet after washing hands. Thinking its best to use a paper towel to close it. WHO recommends doing that.

Their course is available at

https://openwho.org/courses/COVID-19-IPC-EN

ps - this is the kind of detailed stuff I expect. Not the generic crap of wash your hands for 20 seconds where after its done some will turn off the faucet with their hands. I don't expect too much from our emasculated CDC. It was the world leader in infection control. Now it seems unlikely they have the resources to thoroughly follow with the tracing of infection spots. I think state and local health departments need to seriously step up.


I had a concern that I was pondering this morning as anxiety levels rise worldwide and the possibility of panic behaviour becomes greater. Some people are going to hoard large quantities of hand sanitizer (among other things but that's the most obvious to me) and stores will run out before manufacturers can replenish supplies. So large percentages of the population will be missing one of the basic tools to help slow the spread of infection.

People often over apply the stuff as well, so my worry is a bunch of hand sanitizer gets sold out and used up much faster than is clinically necessary.

So how do you get a population to behave in a way that benefits the whole community? Should stores put limits on how many bottles or ounces anyone can buy at one time? How do you make sure everyone knows you don't need three squirts to sanitize your hands?


Hand sanitizer was sinks out at Target and the Millburn CVS this weekend.  I overheard people asking for it.


wendyn said:

 "was sinks out at Target"  

Is "sinks out" a regionalism or autocorrect gone awry?


BG9, in light of our increasing vigilance (more local confirmed cases and another death), I’ve read the updated Advice issued to industry (including hospitality, and aged care) especially for care workers, for cleaners and for people nursing at-risk people at home.

*As you probably know, use sanitiser before and after wearing gloves. (This step helps prevent cross-contamination from whatever’s on the gloves)  This is a step that helps with your personal eye/face protection.

*in regards to hard surfaces, clean as normal and sanitise as you normally would (you could use a vinegar or bleach solution with warm water). What’s important is that the virus appears to die as the droplets containing it dry out, life expectancy on hard surfaces at room temperature in normal circumstances is only a couple of hours (dependant on the amount of fluid). Clean spills promptly. Virus is not thought to live in fecal matter nor stomach contents.

*The biggest emphasis in each factsheet is on the large percentage of people with other causes for coughs, sneezing, wheezing, runny eyes, sweating etc and that many of these causes won’t be contagious. 

Hopefully this info helps a bit, given we’re a step or two further along than you.  The links to WHO info were weeks old and not much clearer than I already knew.


Thanks Joanne. Good to know it only takes for the droplets to kill the virus..


wendyn said:

Hand sanitizer was sinks out at Target and the Millburn CVS this weekend.  I overheard people asking for it.

 I have been looking for hand sanitizer for two weeks. It has been sold out everywhere for a while. 


BG9 said:

Thanks Joanne. Good to know it only takes for the droplets to kill the virus..

 We don’t usually recommend cleaning with Domestos or similar, the fumes are too strong and can lead to their own health issues for little overall gain in terms of surface germ/bacteria control. However for the moment if it makes you feel more certain that the surface in question has been treated, go ahead and use it (sparingly). 

In some ways, you’re better off using hand sanitiser every time you see a plunge-bottle, as well as the frequent hand washing. Use your elbows for the plunge onto your other hand. cheese Getting good at this dexterity is also good for the brain!


I was in two separate movie theaters in the city yesterday (IFC and Angelika) and washed my hands before and after each film. (I actually brought a bar of soap into the city with me in aluminum foil) But sitting in the theaters, I was hyper-aware of people close to me and those coughing and sneezing around me. I never felt so creeped out in a movie theater. Wasn't pleasant.


Something to think about if you want to support restaurants (by take out if not sit down).  Obviously, there's still the containers to consider:

Can the virus be passed on through food?

Experience with SARS and MERS suggest that people are not infected with the virus through food. So, it is unlikely the virus is passed on through food and there is no evidence yet of this happening with COVID-19 (coronavirus) to date.

Coronaviruses need a host (animal or human) to grow in and cannot grow in food. Thorough cooking is expected to kill the virus because we know that a heat treatment of at least 30min at 60ºC is effective with SARS.


Yeah, takeout is probably riskier than going out.


Got some reassuring news via a doc at Overlook today. If you have had your flu shot, you should have some protection against this virus.


mtierney said:

Got some reassuring news via a doc at Overlook today. If you have had your flu shot, you should have some protection against this virus.

Now, I ain't no doctor, but that can't possibly be correct.

Can it?


mtierney said:

Got some reassuring news via a doc at Overlook today. If you have had your flu shot, you should have some protection against this virus.

 That's not anything I've read anywhere else. I've read that flu vaccination will prevent the flu which would be a bad thing to have at the same time as this coronavirus. 


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