Monica Reed

Why hand washing could slow down the Coronavirus

Photo: Shutterstock

Why hand washing could slow down the Coronavirus

Before we start, lets demonstrate how a virus or infections spreds…we will do it with the television show, Scrubs

Now we all know that when it comes to preventing viral infections, washing your hands is always the first line of defense!  We were all taught to wash our hands after using the bathroom, before dinner and before bed!

Now, in the frenzied middle of the Coronavirus outbreak…CORRECTLY washing your hands with soap and water remains doctors, CDC and World Health Organization’s #1 thing to do when it comes to spreading the virus.

It baffles me why some people express doubt time and time again that something as simple and basic as personal hygiene could have any effect in an epidemic.

New research aims to prove the doubter wrong by showing just how important CORRECTLY washing your hands can be in S-L-O-W-I-N-G down the spread of Coronavirus.

The study, which now appears in the journal Risk Analysis, used hygienic modeling and data-based simulations to determine if and how better personal hygiene might affect the rate of disease transmission.

30% of people do not wash their hands…ewwww!  Come on people!  
The researchers started from existing data indicating that a large number of people do not wash their hands after using the restroom.

70% of people who go to the toilet DO wash their hands afterward.  The other 30% don’t wash their hands. And only 50% WASH CORRECTLY.

The CDC say the best practices for hand washing include not only rinsing the hands with water, but also applying soap and scrubbing the palms, the back of the hands, between the fingers, and under the fingernails.

A person should scrub for at least 20 seconds before rinsing the soap and drying the hands with a clean towel.

Better hygiene may reduce disease spread of Coronavirus!

Researchers say that if more people were to wash their hands more frequently and correctly, it would significantly slow down the rate at which diseases are likely to spread.

Another helpful step might be to clean and disinfect surfaces in airports, homes, offices, restaurants, retailers more frequently.

Proper hand washing could be a simple and effective solution for preventing transmission of infections and reducing the risk of massive global pandemics, like the Coronavirus!

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