Myths and facts about coronavirus COVID-19

With the global pandemic of the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19 disease, there are lots of facts circulating on the Internet and other vehicles. While there is a lot of very good information, particularly at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at cdc.gov/coronavirus, not everyone goes to that authoritative site for information. Below is a list of “facts” which has been widely circulated, with my comments, in italics, after each point. The important message is to use some common sense, and check the reliable sources for full information.

* The virus is not a living organism, but a protein molecule (DNA) covered by a protective layer of lipid (fat), which, when absorbed by the cells of the ocular, nasal or buccal mucosa, changes their genetic code. (mutation) and convert them into aggressor and multiplier cells.

Not exactly. This is an RNA virus, not a DNA virus. The action of the RNA is to infiltrate a cell and turn the cell into a machine to produce more replicas of the virus, not "convert them into aggressor and multiplier cells" -- that sounds more like cancer!

* Since the virus is not a living organism but a protein molecule, it is not killed, but decays on its own. The disintegration time depends on the temperature, humidity and type of material where it lies.

Sure, kind of.

* The virus is very fragile; the only thing that protects it is a thin outer layer of fat. That is why any soap or detergent is the best remedy, because the foam CUTS the FAT (that is why you have to rub so much: for 20 seconds or more, to make a lot of foam). By dissolving the fat layer, the protein molecule disperses and breaks down on its own.

Actually, the foam is not cleaning, it is the layer of soap on your skin that does. Manufacturers often add foaming agents to allow you to see the foam so that you feel the soap is working better. It is the abrasion by rubbing for the 20 seconds that accomplishes the cleaning. Compounds in the soap called “surfactants” reduce the surface tension of the water, enabling lifting of soil and microbes from skin better than with water alone. One also tends to wash longer with the visible foaming of soap, which is why the foam is there!

* HEAT melts fat; this is why it is so good to use water above 25 degrees Celsius for washing hands, clothes and everything. In addition, hot water makes more foam and that makes it even more useful.

First off, 25 deg Celsius is 77 deg Fahrenheit, which is hardly hot water. To get the water hot enough to "melt the fat" would likely burn your skin. Again, the foam is irrelevant. The CDC guidelines include both hot and cold water for washing, both are equally effective.

* Alcohol or any mixture with alcohol over 65% DISSOLVES ANY FAT, especially the external lipid layer of the virus.

Alcohol about 60% concentration is necessary to denature the protein of the virus. But go too high and it starts to denature the protein of your hands. It seems that 60% to 70% is the best range.

* Any mix with 1 part bleach and 5 parts water directly dissolves the protein, breaks it down from the inside.

Bleach is a potent germicide, but it can be quite irritating as well. The CDC recommends a 2:100 dilution of household bleach, not 1:5. That’s four teaspoons of household bleach (5% sodium hypochlorite) per quart of water. Remember to never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser.

* Oxygenated water helps long after soap, alcohol and chlorine, because peroxide dissolves the virus protein, but you have to use it pure and it hurts your skin.

Not sure what the writer means by "oxygenated water." Hydrogen peroxide, a different compound than water, does have an extra oxygen atom per molecule, and is a good contact disinfectant, but should not be used on your skin routinely. 

* NO BACTERICIDE SERVES. The virus is not a living organism like bacteria; they cannot kill what is not alive with antibiotics, but quickly disintegrate its structure with everything said.

Sure, I agree that bactericides do not necessary kill virus.

* NEVER shake used or unused clothing, sheets or cloth. While it is glued to a porous surface, it is very inert and disintegrates only between 3 hours (fabric and porous), 4 hours (copper, because it is naturally antiseptic; and wood, because it removes all the moisture and does not let it peel off and disintegrates). ), 24 hours (cardboard), 42 hours (metal) and 72 hours (plastic). But if you shake it or use a feather duster, the virus molecules float in the air for up to 3 hours, and can lodge in your nose.

First, you are assuming that the virus is present in your environment, presumably with no one ill. Washing clothing clearly kills the virus, so shaking washed clothing would be no problem. The most potent vector is your hands, not random airborne virus particles. So, if you contact clothing that, for some reason, you think might be contaminated -- such as by going to a store and touching something -- wash your hands well before touching your face.

* The virus molecules remain very stable in external cold, or artificial as air conditioners in houses and cars. They also need moisture to stay stable, and especially darkness. Therefore, dehumidified, dry, warm and bright environments will degrade it faster.

It is not clear if transmission of the virus or effects on the virus particle, itself, are temperature and humidity dependent. Also, different viruses respond differently to changes in the environment. There is not enough data on the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 to know the specifics of how it responds to such changes in temperature or humidity.

* UV LIGHT on any object that may contain it breaks down the virus protein. For example, to disinfect and reuse a mask is perfect. Be careful, it also breaks down collagen (which is protein) in the skin, eventually causing wrinkles and skin cancer.

Ultraviolet light is germicidal, but to obtain a sufficient dose one would likely need to lie in a tanning bed or use special UV lamps. Neither of these is a practical measure. And, yes, such radiation is associated with the development of skin cancers.

* The virus CANNOT go through healthy skin.

Yes, I agree.

* Vinegar is NOT useful because it does not break down the protective layer of fat.

Yes, I agree

* NO SPIRITS, NOR VODKA, serve. The strongest vodka is 40% alcohol, and you need 65%.

Yes, I agree.

* LISTERINE IF IT SERVES! It is 65% alcohol.

Original strength Listerine is about 27% alcohol. Others are lower, and some have no alcohol at all. So “no” to Listerine or other mouthwashes.

* The more confined the space, the more concentration of the virus there can be. The more open or naturally ventilated, the less.

Sure, kind of. But it is the virus that enters your body that causes disease, not the ones that are in the environment.

* This is super said, but you have to wash your hands before and after touching mucosa, food, locks, knobs, switches, remote control, cell phone, watches, computers, desks, TV, etc. And when using the bathroom.

Let's start with the last statement, you always had to wash your hands after urinating or defecating, and you still do. Because the primary vector for infection is your hands, after touching anything that may be contaminated, this mandates good handwashing, per CDC guidelines, after contact. There is nothing new or magical about this, it is something you should have been doing since you were a child. But remember that the vector for transmission is the virus entering your system through your mouth, nose, or eyes. It is most critical that you wash your hands before touching any of these orifices, eating, or such.

* You have to HUMIDIFY HANDS DRY from so much washing them, because the molecules can hide in the micro cracks. The thicker the moisturizer, the better.

You should use some moisturizer on your hands after washing as the frequent washing can lead to drying and cracking of your skin. Virus considerations aside. When using most moisturizers, use a quantity about as big as a pea to treat all surfaces. More than that and your hands may remain greasy and slippery, and you’d likely wash them again to get all of the moisturizer off, and never use it again.

*Also keep your NAILS SHORT so that the virus does not hide there.

Sure, and wash under your nails when you wash your hands. If your nails are long, use a hand brush.

Please check out my other posts on the current situation, on Hand Washing, Flying, and DIY Hand Sanitizer!

Flying in the age of Coronavirus

With all of our self quarantine and social distancing, sometimes you may need to go somewhere further than a tank of gas away.  How about flying?  Is it still a safe way to travel?  Here is an article where I participate in a discussion of some of the factors to consider before you board a plane.

ARE AIRPLANES ACTUALLY THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING THE CORONAVIRUS?

Sanitizer: Don’t Do It Yourself

So the news tells you of the latest new pathogen, Coronavirus now, but who knows what the next one will be, likely to cause serious disease. You read about risks of contagion, social distancing, and personal hygiene., your anxiety level is rising as you picture swarms of viral particles clinging to your hands, ready to enter any bodily orifice and wreak havoc with your health. Looking to remove the perceived imminent threat, you turn for a squirt of solace in the form of hand sanitizer. And you are out, empty, none in the house. A trip to the store reveals only empty shelves. So you scour the Internet for a recipe to make your own., should you use 70% or 91% isopropyl alcohol, 90% ethanol, vodka, or something else; and how about using essential oils, or aloe gel?

No. Don’t. Please.

In an earlier post,I discussed why washing your hands is better than using a hand sanitizer. But let me review the problems with a home brew version. First of all, the “sweet spot” for alcohol content in these products is about 60%. to 70%. Less than that does not create an effective germicide. Higher concentrations of alcohol can actually damage the protein in your skin. So if you start with anything less than the desired concentration, such as 70% isopropyl alcohol, you can’t get an effective level once you add gels or other liquids. And forget vodka or such. Eighty proof vodka is only 40% alcohol. Great to drink, but not to kill microorganisms. And if you use 98% or 99% grain alcohol, or ethanol, you run the risk of having too high a concentration, with drying out, cracking, and bleeding skin. And that certainly is not a good thing.

Then the are those additives, essential oils, coloring agents and the like. They do nothing but add a fragrance. They have no part in a product designed to kill microbes. And adding Aloe to the alcohol is not enough to keep your skin soft and supple, the alcohol overrides that.

Also, the many suggestions for using other agents, such as witch hazel, or tea tree oil, are just ill informed. These agents are not antibacterial, antiviral, or antifungal. They just don’t belong in a sanitizing product.

In order to produce an effective hand sanitizer, you need a lab quality facility, with precise measurements, sterile containers (why introduce germs into your sanitizer?), and instruments capable of verifying the strength and quality of your product. You don’t have that in your kitchen.

Look, I am not saying that using the commercial product when other means to clean your hands are not available is wrong. A few years ago I wrote a post telling you to carry some with you just in case. But even then I detailed the preferred method of cleaning your hands.

Soap & water.

Up until 1988, we did not have hand sanitizer. But we still had clean hands and were able to prevent disease. That was done with the time honored technique of washing one’s hands with soap and water. And that still works. In fact, it works better than hand sanitizer, does not dry out the skin, and does not promote resistant organisms, as the sanitizer does.

So please reread my post about washing your hands and practice it until you get it right. Avoid touching your face or any body orifices with hands that are not clean, and you will go a long way towards preventing nasty microbes from invading your body and causing disease. It is not foolproof, guaranteed, 100% effective, but what is?

Thank you for washing

With the current concerns over Coronavirus, COVID-19, infection, or for that matter any year during cold and flu season, keeping one’s hands free of infectious agents is a concern. For many people, this means multiple squirts of alcohol based hand sanitizer, one popular brand is Purell, throughout the day. Shortages on store shelves attest to the popularity of this product and its use. But you don’t need to use hand sanitizer, and there are problems associated with frequent applications of this type of product. What you do need to do, what the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends you do is just

Wash Your Hands!

Washing hands with soap and water is clearly the best way to cleanse your hands of debris and pathogens. Studies have shown the effectiveness of such handwashing, and professionals include handwashing as part of a routine health care practice. We all remember being told to wash hands as children, and some of us even followed the advice. But now, more than every, it is important to make this part of our daily routine.

All you need is soap and water. Any soap is fine, it does not have to be an antibacterial soap. It can be inexpensive hand soap, fancy smelly soap, or liquid soap that you pump from a bottle. And while washing your hands in warm water is more comfortable, cold water can be used as well, if that is what is available. It is the action of the washing, not the temperature of the water, that is important.

Just to be clear on how to accomplish this miracle of cleansing, first wet your hands with clean water – hot, warm or cold. Then use bar or liquid soap to lather up your hands – front, back, between your fingers and under your nails. Scrub away all that grime and germs for about twenty seconds – sing “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear right hand, happy birthday to you,” and then repeat it for the left hand. Sounds banal, but the timing works out and it might just make you smile. Rinse off the soap and stuff with clean water and dry your hands with a clean towel or air dryer. Was that so difficult?

When should you wash your hands? Well, obviously, when they are dirty, but also whenever there is a chance to infect yourself or others. So any action which involves food or drink, such as preparing, serving, or eating food, should be done with clean hands. Often, food preparation includes opportunities for contamination, such as with raw poultry, which requires hand washing even while preparing food. Exposure to feces or urine, your own, a child or child’s diapers, or someone for whom you are caring, should be followed by a good hand washing. If you are ill, after that cough or sneeze, or after throwing away used tissues or such, wash those hands. Pets, pet food, or pet excrement are also triggers for washing, as would be just taking out the garbage. In short, if there is any chance that your hands harbor pathogens or germs, wash them.

Now, a word about hand sanitizer, since I know that in the back of your mind you want to do a squirt and avoid all that “Happy Birhday” stuff with your hands. That said, let’s have a look at the stuff. The CDC points our that hand sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs, and may not be effective with dirty or greasy hands. Having said that, if you have no other option, it may be your best bet until you can get to soap and water and wash. But, be aware that there are several types of sanitizers. While most on the market use alcohol as their active ingredient, and you need at least 60% alcohol to be effective, some products use other agents, such as triclosan. There are a variety of reports about triclosan, ranging from allowing bacterial to develop resistance to real physical side effects that it can produce in suseptable individuals. It is best to avoid any such products.

And before you start squirting away, be aware that frequent use of hand sanitizer produces a dermatitis of the hands, which has been seen in hospital and other workers who use the stuff on a frequent basis. Somehow, I don’t think that red, cracked, painful hands would be the result you seek in using hand sanitizer. So if you do use it, use of some emoliant cream after application might help, as would periodic soap and water to remove any residual from the sanitizer.

Although it may seem trivial, do discuss this with your personal physician if you have any questions. We use our hands throughout the day, grabbing and touching objects and people that may be clean or not. Taking good care of them helps our health, and the health of others.