It has been proven that COVID-19 primarily spreads through airborne transmission, leading to official mask-wearing mandates. Many people are now asking themselves whether hand hygiene is still relevant Yes, it is! In this article we tell you why.
Why hand hygiene is still important
When the pandemic began and we had less information about the nature of this illness, the importance of hand hygiene became a global talking point. Decades of research have shown that hand washing is one of the most effective actions you can take to reduce the spread of pathogens and prevent infections. However, with more and more research emerging indicating that the virus spreads through expelled droplets, some people are beginning to question whether hand hygiene is as important as other methods of protecting ourselves against contracting or spreading COVID-19.
It is true that the virus spreads mostly directly from person to person when a COVID-19 patient coughs or sneezes. However, the respiratory droplets are too heavy to remain airborne, and they may land on objects and surfaces around the infected individual, causing those surfaces to become contaminated.[1] If you touch a contaminated surface and then touch your face, there is a risk of infection.[2]
How does hand hygiene protect you from a disease that is expelled in droplets?
Research has shown that the COVID-19 virus can remain viable for up to 72 hours on plastic and stainless steel, up to 4 hours on copper, and up to 24 hours on cardboard.[3] The amount you touch your face may also surprise you, with one study of medical students suggesting we touch our faces on average 23 times an hour.[4] Washing or sanitising your hands after touching surfaces reduces your risk of contamination.
Now that many European countries are working on opening strategies, the importance of hand hygiene should definitely not be underestimated. For example, when customers are able to go shopping in retail shops, they are constantly touching objects when selecting products. They also grab door handles and handrails that have already been touched by many other people. They may even travel by public transport, where surfaces are very contaminated with all kinds of pathogens.
The perfect placement of dispensers
We therefore recommend traders to place hand sanitising dispensers in all entrance and exit areas. If the dispensers are placed where they are directly in view when customers enter or leave a shop, they are most likely to be used.
PURELL ADX dispensers offer exceptional reliability, easy service, and design that looks good in any environment. Our high capacity 1200mL PURELL dispenser is ideal for high traffic areas like shops and stores. Meanwhile, the large sight window, skylight and crystal-clear refill bottles make it easy to check fill status in all PURELL and GOJO dispensers.
Stay healthy!
[1] Ong SWX, Tan YK, Chia PY, et al. Air, Surface Environmental, and Personal Protective Equipment Contamination by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) From a Symptomatic Patient. JAMA. 2020;323(16):1610–1612. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.3227
[2] World Health Organization. COVID-19 and food safety: guidance for food businesses. Interim guidance. 7 April 2020. WHO-2019-nCoV-Food_Safety-2020.1-eng.pdf
[3] van Doremalen N, Bushmaker T, Morris DH et al. Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1. N Engl J Med. 2020 Mar 17. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2004973
[4] Yen Lee Angela Kwok, Jan Gralton, Mary-Louise McLaws. Face touching: A frequent habit that has implications for hand hygiene.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2014.10.015
