Last updated on May 11th, 2021 at 08:34 am
Proper handwashing is advised in battling the pandemic coronavirus but often times, people are not consistent in washing their hands properly and just let it pass after washing quickly with soap and water.
But here’s a new study that will help people in understanding the importance of handwashing and using paper towels/tissue to prevent the spreading of COVID-19.
In order to prevent spreading the latest coronavirus, people should dry their hands with paper towels, according to the authors of a study published on Friday that considers disposable tissues better than jet dryers to remove pathogen missed by inadequate washing.
Global health authorities have emphasized the vital importance of soap and water washing hands to guard against COVID-19, which has killed tens of thousands and spread all over the world.
A small research by researchers from the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in Britain found that drying with a paper towel was more effective in eliminating microbes if the hands had not been properly washed.
Four volunteers had infected their hands using a bacteriophage — a virus that infects bacteria and is harmless to humans — and then did not attempt to wash away the microbes.
They then dried their hands in a hospital bathroom with either paper towels or a jet air dryer and touched different surfaces including door handles, stairway steps, phones and stethoscopes.
Researchers found that both the use of paper towels and jet dryers minimized on-hand pollution.
It’s not bad to apply this in order to raise the awareness and maintain the cleanliness of one’s hand against contamination.