As for the debate over whether soap or alcohol have a better disinfecting ability, Xu Xiaoyuan, chief physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Peking University First Hospital, said that soap belongs to detergents and alcohol belongs to disinfectants, which is not a concept and cannot be confused.
Judging from the unit amount alone, 75% alcohol has a better anti-virus effect than soap, but it is not recommended to wash hands directly with alcohol, otherwise, it will cause skin damage, causing peeling, dryness, enlarged pores and even cracking.
Professor Yang Zhanqiu, professor of the Institute of Virology, Wuhan University Medical College, and Xu Xiaoyuan, chief physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases of the First Hospital of Peking University, said that washing hands with soap is more convenient, faster and more effective.
Alcohol-free hand sanitizer is recommended as an emergency product for use on special occasions, such as public places (hospitals, train stations) where there is a large number of people, when the epidemic is high, and when outdoor is inconvenient.
The higher the alcohol concentration, the better the disinfection effect?
Professor Yang Zhanqiu, a professor at the Institute of Virology, Wuhan University Medical College, said that the higher the alcohol concentration, the better the disinfection effect.
A high concentration of alcohol will cause the protein on the surface of the virus to coagulate quickly, but because of the high speed, it will prevent the alcohol from penetrating inward. For some viruses, it's still "alive" inside, so it doesn't work well. When the alcohol concentration is 75% lower, the ability to kill the virus is also affected due to reduced permeability.
75% alcohol is similar to the osmotic pressure of virus-infected cells. It can gradually infiltrate into the virus before the surface protein of the virus is not denatured, so that all the protein of the virus is dehydrated, denatured and solidified, and finally the purpose of killing the virus, especially the coronavirus.
When do I need to wash my hands?
During the epidemic of the new coronavirus, in order to avoid transmission by hand, care should be taken to wash hands, and the frequency of handwashing depends on the specific situation.
Wash your hands promptly in the following situations: before returning home, before wearing a mask and after removing the mask, after touching with tears, nose, sputum, and saliva, coughing, sneezing, covering with hands, after nursing a patient, before preparing food, before eating, and going to the toilet After touching public facilities or items (such as handrails, door handles, elevator buttons, coins, courier and other items), before holding children, feeding children with food, after handling baby feces, after touching animals or handling animal feces.
How to ensure the effectiveness of handwashing?
Washing hands is one of the most direct and effective ways to reduce bacteria and viruses in your hands. Proper handwashing is the key.
Correct handwashing refers to washing hands with running water, soap or hand sanitizer. Each hand should be rubbed for more than 20 seconds. Make sure that the palm, fingers, back of the hand, finger seams, nail seams, wrists, etc. are cleaned.
When it is not convenient to wash your hands, you can use an alcohol-free hand sanitizer to clean your hands.
What should I do if it is not convenient to wash my hands when I go out?
You can use alcohol-based disinfection products to clean your hands. Coronaviruses are resistant to acids and alkalis and are sensitive to organic solvents and disinfectants. 75% alcohol can inactivate the virus, so a certain concentration of alcohol-containing disinfection products can be used as a substitute for soap and running water.
Special Report: Fighting The New Coronavirus
