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Why disinfecting surfaces to prevent COVID-19 is not the best idea (and can even be bad)

2021-04-20T14:29:08.808Z


The CDC warns that the risk of contagion of COVID-19 by surfaces is low, compared to transmission through the air. In most cases it is not necessary to disinfect the surfaces. And it may even be a bad idea to do so.


The risk of contagion of the coronavirus by contact with surfaces is low compared to transmission through the air, as recalled this Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, in English).

"

The risk of surface transmission is low

and secondary to the primary routes of transmission of the virus through direct contact with

droplets and aerosols,

" said Vincent Hill, chief of the Waterborne Disease Prevention subdivision, in a session. informational organized by the CDC.

[Plan your vaccination: this tool helps to know who is eligible and where to schedule an appointment]

He also indicated that

"making a show"

when cleaning and disinfecting "can serve to give people the feeling that they are protected from the virus, but it can be a

false sense of security

 if other prevention measures such as the use of masks, physical distancing and hand hygiene ".

The expert warned that some people may even "deliberately drink, inhale or spray their skin with disinfectants" without understanding that these

"can cause serious damage to their bodies

.

"

"19% wash food products with chlorine, which could lead to the consumption of chlorine that is not washed, which can harm the body because it is toxic," he added.

The volume of calls to poison centers in 2020 was higher than in 2018 or 2019.

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“In most cases,

cleaning surfaces with soap or detergent, and not disinfecting, is enough

to reduce the already low risk of transmission of the virus through surfaces,” he added, “generally

it is not necessary to disinfect the

surfaces.

surfaces, unless a sick or COVID-19 positive person has been home in the last 24 hours

. "

 [Follow our coverage on the coronavirus pandemic]

Hill pointed out that the risk of transmission from touching a surface, even if it is minimal, is higher indoors than outdoors since the sun, among other factors, can help destroy viruses.

The CDC recommends in this updated guide, among other things:

  • Cleaning surfaces that are touched every day and after receiving visitors

  • Focus on the surfaces that are touched the most, such as doorknobs, tables, pulls, light switches, and countertops.

  • Clean other surfaces when visibly dirty or when necessary.

  • Clean the surfaces using a suitable product for each surface.

Airborne transmission

Along the same lines, a team of scientists published a few days ago the 10 reasons why they argue that

aerosols are an important actor

in transmission in an article in the scientific journal The Lancet.

One of these arguments points out that events where many people are infected at the same time are one of the main drivers of the pandemic.

Detailed analyzes in concerts, cruise ships, nursing homes and prisons, among other settings, have shown that the infections were made by air, and that they cannot be adequately explained by other means of contagion.

Another argument is that, person-to-person contagion between two people who did not even cross paths has been documented, caused by poor ventilation in a hotel with people in quarantine.

With information from CNN and El País.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-04-20

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