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Join the Fight Against COVID-19 by Protecting You and Your Family

Join the Fight Against COVID-19

By Danian LeePublished 4 years ago 5 min read
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The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event. Never has a single event affected so many and so definitively, changing the way everything is done in the blink of an eye. Such is the power of this insidious virus. It may have infected only a small percentage of the global population, but one doesn’t have to be infected to feel its effects.

Governments all over the world are implementing everything in their power to maintain some semblance of order and normalcy. Scientists are scrambling for a cure, while health workers are risking their lives to nurse infected patients back to health. Many more in the frontline are battling an invisible enemy, armed with PPEs and a bottle of alcohol hand sanitizer.

Knowledge: The First Layer of Protection Against the Virus

Knowing how the virus spreads is the first line of defense against COVID-19. All the subsequent decisions and measures are based on how well we understand it and the way it behaves.

According to the Center for Disease Control or CDC, the virus spreads from one person to another. Droplets are naturally produced when a person breathes or talks, more so with coughs and sneezes. These droplets normally contain cells from the epithelium and immune system, electrolytes from mucus and saliva, and any infectious agent a person may carry.

When an infected person coughs/sneezes, the virus is released in the form of an infectious aerosol. With each sneeze, an estimated 40,000 droplets of varying sizes (between 0.5 and 12 micrometers) are expelled into the air at speeds of up to 100 m/s. How far the droplets actually travel depends on several factors, such as the rate of droplet evaporation and wind conditions. However, when a droplet carrying the virus lands on the mouth or is inhaled through the nose, that person becomes infected as well.

The Reason Behind Social Distancing and Wearing a Mask

By Georg Arthur Pflueger on Unsplash

People react differently to the COVID-19 virus. It is lethal to the susceptible, while others do not show any symptoms at all. However, asymptomatic people are still carriers and can infect others just the same. This is another problem with the virus. You may be infected already and a carrier yourself without knowing it. That is why the CDC recommends people to keep a distance of at least six feet from one another regardless of whether you have any symptom or not.

The best way to do this is to stay at home. Go out only when absolutely necessary, such as to buy food and other essential supplies. When outside, wearing a mask at all times is mandatory.

Keeping Your Hands Clean

By CDC on Unsplash

Aside from keeping your distance and covering coughs or sneezes, you should also make sure that your hands are always clean. Droplets expelled by an infected person would settle on any surface within one to two meters. If you touch any of these surfaces, there is a high chance that you would carry the virus. You will not get infected directly through your hand, but you may instinctively touch your eyes, nose, and mouth, which are the natural entry points of the virus into your system. Eventually, the virus would enter your body and infect your system.

Washing hands with soap and water, once in a while, is the best way to keep your hands clean. However, this option is usually available at home only. Outdoors is where things are mostly beyond your control, and you are most vulnerable. When you are out for food and other essentials, you must wear a mask and have an alcohol hand sanitizer handy. It must contain no less than 60% alcohol, which is the minimum potency required to kill germs, bacteria, and viruses effectively.

There is also a proper way to use hand sanitizers:

  • Apply the recommended amount on one palm.
  • Rub the sanitizer on the entire surface of both hands, including between the fingers.
  • Do not stop rubbing until the sanitizer has evaporated, and your skin is dry.

At the same time, you must remember that sanitizers should not replace hand washing to slow down the virus spread. Use soap and water whenever it is convenient or available.

Do not try mixing homemade hand sanitizers

Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the demand for alcohol-based sanitizers has skyrocketed, making it hard for some people to get their hands on them. Others may be tempted to mix their own hand sanitizer at home, especially with the several recipes for a homemade blend circulating online. But this is not advisable, and may even be dangerous, for the following important reasons:

  • You can never replicate the sterile environment of an industrial manufacturing facility in your home. Sanitizer manufacturers are compliant with strict industry standards to ensure that the contents of each bottle are not only effective but safe for use. Your kitchen, on the other hand, is not.
  • The tools you have in your kitchen are nowhere near as efficient as the equipment used by licensed manufacturers. Human limitations additionally inhibit the consistency and uniformity of a homemade mixture as it is done by hand. The resulting homemade mixture is inconsistent, some parts having higher alcohol concentrations than the others. If you end up using the sub-standard parts, it leaves you vulnerable to infection.
  • Alcohol, especially at the 99% concentration required by the homemade recipes, is a volatile and flammable chemical. Many precautions have to be taken for safe storage and handling. Workers in the hand sanitizer industry are armed with protective equipment and training, which enable them to work safely around dangerous chemicals. It is safe to say that most homeowners are neither trained nor equipped for it.

The ratio of the alcohol component is critical to maintaining its effective potency, which must not go below 60%. With the inefficiencies and risks inherent to the DIY alcohol hand sanitizer, you are better off looking harder in stores or taking other precautions than trying your hand with a homemade one.

Joining the Fight Against COVID-19

The spread of the Covid-19 has left most of us isolated at home or separated from our families. But make no mistake! You are not alone, and we all have a part to play. Slowing the spread of the virus by protecting you and your family is helpful enough. Stay home and stay safe. When outside, be responsible and heed all the warnings of the government and experts. In your own little ways, you can help win the battle against COVID-19.

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About the Creator

Danian Lee

Danian is a content enthusiast who keeps track of all the latest updates in Tech, Travel, Life Style and other niches. I am a content writer who love to contribute articles to blogs. You can get in touch with me on Twitter.

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