First and foremost let me say that I am in no way a licensed medical provider. You should always speak to your doctor about any medical concerns, especially if you are feeling sick. I am writing this post to inform, not advise.
Ok, now that that is out of the way…
This is definitely not my usual blog post, but with the recent outbreak of Coronavirus and the media frenzy it has caused, there has been a ton of false news being spread on how to help prevent catching the disease. I wanted to do a little research of my own to see how much of this was true. Everything in this post came directly from the CDC’s website and the links that I used to find this information are listed at the bottom for you to read for yourself if you’d like!
Hand Sanitizer
I’m just going to get right to it, most hand sanitizers do NOT help prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
I noticed that every single online retailer is out of stock and physical stores had empty shelves where the Purell used to be; even worse, some retailers on Amazon and eBay are price gauging these products to be literally 10x their original price AND PEOPLE ARE BUYING IT!!! Consumers are letting their health fears overcome their sense of judgement and the media and market are taking FULL advantage of that.
So, since we know not all hand sanitizers will help you prevent the Coronavirus, let’s look at the criteria for one that will!
What you need to look for is any product that is:
- Alcohol based AND
- Has an alcohol percentage of 60% or higher
This information will always be on the back of a product so you can easily tell if it fits that criteria. It is highly recommended that you wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds as this is THE MOST highly effective method to keeping yourself clean!
Cleaning Your Home/Personal Items
This one is a little more tricky as household cleaners and wipes typically advertise “Kills 99.9% of germs” or “multi-use”/”multi-purpose”. Do not be fooled ladies and gentlemen, even if it kills 99.9% of germs it still may not do the job you’re looking for – you should always read the ingredients on the back to make sure it will appropriately clean your home.
What you need to look for is any product that is:
- A household bleach product
- An alcohol-based product with at least 70% alcohol
Browsing through Target’s website, there were antibacterial wipes from companies like Purell, Wet Ones, and The Honest Company that did not fit any of the above criteria.
I know many families try to stay away from harsh chemicals, bleach and alcohol both fall under that category, but there is a reason bleach is added to the big name cleaning brands and has been used for years in cleaning products – it simply works.
Any product that uses bleach will be very clearly labeled on the front of the package. For alcohol based products the percentage will be listed on the back label.
It would also be good practice to take these wipes and wipe down buggies, public seating, etc. to keep surfaces you come into contact clean.
Common Misconceptions
- I need to wear a face mask
- No – it is only recommended to wear a face mask if you are infected to avoid spreading the disease or if you are the caregiver of someone who is infected
- It will blow over when summer comes
- We don’t know. Basically it could go any way. Some sicknesses spread more during cold weather and stop in warmer weather (cold and flu) and others thrive during it. There is no research to say either way.
- (I can’t believe I have to even say this) I cannot eat Asian food or be around people of Asian descent
- Just because a restaurant serves Asian based cuisine does not mean that 1. the food actually came from Asia or 2. it is infected. Honestly, due to this stigma, I imagine most Asian restaurants are taking greater precautions to keep their establishment clean because they are probably losing business. For them to stay open they have to be totally compliant with the strict FDA guidelines anyways, so their kitchens and food preparations have to be to guidelines.
- More than likely your Asian friends or the people you pass on the street are Asian-American, which means if you are not Asian-American and live in the States then you are JUST as likely to be exposed to the disease as they are. IF someone is either from a highly effected area or has travelled their recently, we should hope that they would take their own precautions to keep themselves and others safe, but this is absolutely no excuse to exile them due to their ethnicity.
Hopefully y’all found this post useful! Like I said it’s totally out of my normal blog categories but I wanted to help myself stay safe and thought it would be great to share that research with you guys to help keep y’all safe too!
XOXO,
Taylor Emery
CDC Links
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-prevent-spread.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/home/cleaning-disinfection.html