What Does Hand Sanitizer Look Like to Prevent COVID-19?
Read all the news articles about the coronavirus (COVID-19) here.
The best way to prevent transmission of COVID-19 is to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If both are not available, you can also clean your hands using them hand sanitizer. However, please note that not all types hand sanitizer able to prevent transmission of COVID-19.
On the market, you will find a wide variety of types hand sanitizer with different content. Type hand sanitizercertain may be able to kill bacteria, but not necessarily with viruses or other germs. So that you don’t choose the wrong choice, let’s get to know it first hand sanitizer like what you really need.
Type hand sanitizer which can prevent transmission of COVID-19
Hand sanitizer it is effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19, but only when you use it appropriately. One of the factors that determine whether a product is appropriate or not hand sanitizer is the active ingredient in it.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol. The reason is, alcohol is an important ingredient that will kill various germs on your hands.
Viruses are composed of chains of genetic code that are stored in a kind of “skin” called a capsid. Meanwhile, some viruses in animals such as coronavirus usually have an additional coating made of fat, phosphorus, protein, and glucose.
Alcohol on hand sanitizer, especially of the type of ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, can break down and destroy the sheath bonds. The virus eventually cannot survive or multiply, and it will eventually die.
This is why many hospitals are using it hand sanitizer alcohol-based to prevent transmission of COVID-19. Alcohol can kill bacteria, viruses, and parasites effectively, including germs in hospitals.
Even so, use hand sanitizer still cannot replace the benefits of washing hands using soap and water. So make sure you only use hand sanitizer when soap and water were completely unavailable.
Is it okay to use hand sanitizer products without alcohol?
Besides hand sanitizer made from alcohol, you may also have come across hand sanitizer without alcohol, wet wipes, or similar cleaning products. So, can products like this also be used to prevent COVID-19?
Alcohol causes side effects in the form of dry skin. People who have dry and sensitive skin are certainly prone to this side effect. Cleaning product manufacturers also work around this by reducing alcohol content or replacing it altogether.
Alcohol-free cleaners usually contain a substitute in the form of benzalkonium chloride. Benzalkonium chloride can indeed clean your hands from germs, but the CDC states that this compound does not work on all types of germs.
Hand sanitizer containing benzalkonium chloride may only inhibit the growth of germs on the hands, but not kill them. The effect is different from washing hands which will kill germs as well as remove them with water.
The same is true of wet wipes, especially considering that most wet wipes are designed for babies so they don’t contain alcohol. The active ingredients in wet wipes may kill bacteria, but not viruses.
Hence, use hand sanitizer without alcohol and wet wipes are considered less effective in preventing transmission of COVID-19. However, both can be alternatives if water, soap, and water are available hand sanitizer with no alcohol available.
is hand sanitizer homemade can prevent COVID-19?
The news about the emergence of COVID-19 caused panic. Many people then flock to buy hand sanitizer so that the stock is running low. Those who run out hand sanitizer finally make this product yourself with the available ingredients.
Hand sanitizer it can be made yourself, but you need to measure the ingredients very carefully. If you measure incorrectly, the alcohol content is on hand sanitizer will drop to less than 60% and thus reduce its effectiveness.
Type hand sanitizer homemademay be effective for preventing disease in ordinary situations. However, when an infectious disease like COVID-19 broke out, the product hand sanitizer those most suitable to prevent contagion are those containing 60% alcohol or more.
COVID-19 is transmitted through body fluids that contain viral particles. The virus usually enters the body when a person touches the eyes, nose and mouth with dirty hands.
Use hand sanitizer can reduce a person’s risk of contracting COVID-19. So that the benefits are more optimal, make sure you choose hand sanitizer with the right content and use it carefully.
Hello Health Group and Hello Sehat do not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please check our editorial policy page for more detailed information.
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Those Viral DIY Hand Sanitizer Recipes Probably Won’t Work. (2020). Retrieved 13 March 2021, from https://www.menshealth.com/health/a31228344/homemade-hand-sanitizer/
Contrary to False Posts, Sanitizer Helpful Against Coronavirus. (2020). Retrieved 13 March 2021, from https://www.factcheck.org/2020/03/contrary-to-false-posts-sanitizer-helpful-against-coronavirus/
Show Me the Science – When & How to Use Hand Sanitizer in Community Settings | Handwashing | CDC. (2020). Retrieved 13 March 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html
