COVID-19 - what’s going on?
An article from Dr Rod Phillips - member #1913.
When I was six, my parents used to say; “Wash your hands”. Now everyone is telling us to wash our hands all the
time. Are they serious? Does that really help?
Interestingly, the answer is “Yes”. The corona virus is basically a tiny oil droplet that contains the bad bits (the RNA
and proteins). The oil droplets get spread around when people cough or sneeze or touch their mouth. Other people
can breathe them in and get sick. Or they can get the oil droplets on their fingers and then spread them into their
own mouth or nose, and again get sick.
So, first of all, stay further away from everyone who might have Covid-19. Which is basically everyone you are not
living with. ‘Social distancing’.”
And secondly, ’Wash Your Hands’ whenever you touch surfaces or people or goods that might be
contaminated. Anything that disrupts the oil droplet kills the virus. The most effective way is to use soapy water -
just like getting oil off your hands. Any soapy stuff or detergent is great. You know how to get oil off your skin,
you’ve done that hundreds of times in your life. It takes about 20 seconds of washing. That is what you need for
the coronavirus. 20 seconds of washing. Gentle washing is fine - you do not need to scrub vigorously.
Antibacterial soaps are no better than other soaps or detergent. The antibacterial chemicals in them are useless
against viruses causing Covid-19.
Appropriate strength alcohol washes are also good. But not as good as soap. Alcohol washes need to be greater than
60% alcohol and ideally needs contact for 30 seconds (That is a long while - try it).
And if you are wanting to clean surfaces, floors etc, household bleach is fine. Dilute as usual in a bucket. Leave in
contact with surfaces for a minute. (This is too harsh for hands for regular use. Okay for an emergency.)
Are you at risk? Absolutely. But not as much as those at the front line in hospitals. The death toll amongst emergency
staff worldwide is frightening. All health staff working on sick patients
(eg throat surgeons, intensive care doctors and nurses, anaesthetic staff) are at very high risk. No hospital in Australia
is currently able to supply appropriate protective gear to these staff. They have no idea whether the patient in front
of them is infected or not.
So, wash your hands with soapy water and practise social distancing. It helps everybody.
p.s. If you email any brief questions to [email protected], I will put the answers together in a future article. Keep
your question brief.
Dr Rod Phillips #1913