SANITISE RIGHT
It is recommended to rub on hand sanitisers with at least 60-per-cent alcohol when you aren’t able to wash your hands in times of Covid19. But some hand sanitisers rely on benzalkonium chloride instead of alcohol as the active ingredient. Such non-alcohol antiseptic products may not work as well for many types of germs, or may merely reduce the growth of germs rather than killing them. They may be better than nothing, experts say. But people are buying them without knowing the difference. The recommendation for hand sanitisers is based on the fact that an appropriate percentage of alcohol kills all of the coronaviruses we know about.
www.propublica.com
EXERCISE LIKE THOR
In light of the global situation, actor Chris Hemsworth has announced on Instagram he is offering a free trial of his fitness app to new users. He said: “I think now more than ever, is when we need to focus on what I believe to be the three key pillars to living healthier and happier – movement, nutrition and mental fitness. Centr (his fitness website) was founded to make health and happiness accessible to all, and I hope that this will make that access even easier during the current global health crisis.” In recent weeks thousands of Centr members aound the world have shared how the programme has brought them positivity and support during these difficult times. Check out centr.com.
thenewdaily.com.au
SAFE RECEIVING
Whether it’s food delivery or something ordered from Amazon, your delivery packages were put together at some other location and passed through many hands before arriving at your doorstep. Although the risk of transmission through food is very low, epidemiologist Stephen Morse says: “Cooked foods are unlikely to be a concern unless they get contaminated after cooking.” But as the infamous virus can live on plastic and cardboard for long hours, once you’ve taken your items out of the box or bag they were delivered in, get rid of the packaging — that’s what was out in the world the longest. After that, sanitise any of the surfaces in your home that the packaging touched, and of course, wash your hands
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
DON’T FORGET YOUR PHONE
Coronavirus can survive on surfaces for two or three days, including on your phone, which we take everywhere and constantly touch. Apple advises to use a 70-per-cent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox disinfecting wipes. The alcohol quickly evaporates from the surface of your phone and kills all the microbes. Any other type needs to be left on the surface for a certain period in order to work, because this will interfere with the phone’s functioning. If wipes are scarce, moisten a cloth or a paper towel with washing-up liquid or hand soap – something that foams, with a detergent in it. Wipe it over the phone, then wipe that off with a cloth or paper towel moistened with water. You might have to do that a couple of times to get rid of the soapy bits. Then let dry.
www.theguardian.com
HY THE DISTANCE?
The USA’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes social distancing the need of the hour, and here’s why. When someone coughs or sneezes, small drops of liquid spray from their nose or mouth. If you’re standing too close, you can breathe in the droplets, which may contain the coronavirus if the person coughing is infected, according to the World Health Organisation. Says Dr William Schaffner, infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University: “Without a cough or a sneeze, if we exhale, the distance of 1-2 metres from each other is called the breathing zone. So, if you’re standing within my breathing zone, you may well inhale some of what I exhale. And, of course, if I have the virus, what I’m exhaling microscopically contains the virus.”
www.edition.cnn.com
