The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed that hand-washing with soap and water may be the best line of defense against coronavirus where face masks fail. In fact, the CDC made it abundantly clear that the most effective way to prevent the killer disease is by constant hand-washing – done the correct way using soap and water.
Considering that face masks have been rated insufficient in stopping the spread of the disease which is now in over 50 countries with almost 90,000 suspected cases worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC among other health experts said proper handwashing remains the only chance at prevention given that there is no vaccine yet to arrest COVID-19.
The CDC recommends a step-by-step approach to washing hands using soap and water to prevent spreading and contracting Coronavirus. Here are the steps:
- Step 1: Get the tap running in the sink and lather up your hands with soap. Work up the lather to kill the germs and get your hands clean of any infection. You must understand that water alone cannot kill germs; you must apply soap.
- Step 2: Lather the soap lather into your palms and fingers and under your nails and to the back of your hands by working your hands and fingers together. The more your work your hands with the soap, the better your chances to remove dirt and germs from your hands.
- Step 3: Keep scrubbing your hands for at least 60 seconds or one full minute to ensure that every pesky germ gets stripped off. You may even have to sing a favorite tune to keep your focus on the task at hand, but ensure you wash your hands for no less than one minute.
- Step 4: Rinse your hands thoroughly under running tap water into the sink for as long as you are able. With the soap lather and thorough washing, any microbes on your hands will have been dislodged and the clean, running water will simply flush them away into the sewer via the sink.
- Step 5: You should then use a clean towel to dry off your hands, and you may also air-dry them if that suits you. And what stops you from using both, huh? Drying your hands reduces the risk of transferring any leftover germs in wet hands.
In a situation where you do not have immediate access to water and soap, you could squeeze a good amount of hand-sanitizer into your hands and rub it in for about 30 seconds to do the job. Hand-sanitizers according to health specialists won’t completely remove dirt or some germs, but it is better than nothing in the face of Coronavirus and other deadly diseases.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/28/health/how-to-wash-hands-coronavirus-trnd/index.html