Is wiping the races always a thing? – Orange County Register



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By CANDICE CHOI | Associated press

NEW YORK – Cleaning wipes are harder to find on store shelves, and companies are reassuring their customers with enhanced sanitation measures. In New York, the subway system is closed every night for disinfection.

To avoid any traces of the coronavirus that could be lurking on surfaces, Americans wiped down groceries, wore surgical gloves when going out, and left postal packages for an additional day or two. But experts say the national fixation on cleaning up caused by the pandemic can sometimes be overstated.

“It’s important to clean surfaces, but not to become too obsessed with them in ways that can be unhealthy,” said Dr. John Brooks, chief medical officer of the COVID-19 response at the Centers for Disease and Control of the United States. United States.

Health officials knew less about the virus at the start of the pandemic, but say it has become clearer that the main way it is spread is between people – through the respiratory droplets they spray while speaking , coughing, sneezing or singing. That’s why officials stress the importance of wearing masks and social distancing.

That doesn’t mean surfaces are safe – cleaning is always recommended – especially frequently touched places like door knobs or elevator buttons that infected people might have recently touched. Other germs that make you sick, like gastrointestinal insects, have not gone away either.

But with COVID-19, experts say the risk must be kept in perspective: the virus is fragile and does not easily survive outside the body for long. The first studies that found that it could persist on surfaces for days used large viral loads and were under lab conditions, not in the real world. Other tests might simply detect the remains of the virus, rather than live viruses capable of infecting people.

Viruses also don’t jump off surfaces to infect people, and infection would require a sequence of events: there would have to be enough surviving viruses on whatever the person touches, the person would have to put it on. his hands, then touch his mouth, nose or eyes.

All of this means that there could be diminishing returns for all sanitizers, especially if people have good hand washing practices.

For public health experts, the challenge is telling people exactly where to draw the line, especially if the cleanup doesn’t hurt.

What is considered overkill can also vary depending on the situation, said Justin Lessler, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University.

While Lessler doesn’t wipe his own groceries, for example, he said it might not be a bad idea for people caring for someone at high risk of getting seriously ill in the event of a ‘infection.

“Maybe these are things that are maybe at the lower end of how much they actually reduce risk. But they are relatively easy and cheap, ”he said.

And in nursing homes, Lessler said vigilance over disinfecting surfaces made sense.

Even if it doesn’t reduce risk significantly, regular surface disinfection can be a way for people to exercise control when they feel they don’t have it, said Stephen Morse, disease researcher. infectious diseases at Columbia University.

In public places, he said, stepping up cleaning – what some call the “hygiene theater” – can be a way to reassure people.

“People want to make it clear that they really care,” Morse said.

But Emanuel Goldman, professor of microbiology at Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, said the reassurance could also create a false sense of security – and hamper measures that matter more.

“They worry less about what they’re breathing. And breathing is your main source of infection, ”said Goldman, who wrote a comment in a medical journal in July saying the fear of transmission through surfaces was exaggerated.

“I’m not saying don’t do routine maintenance. I’m not saying don’t clean up. But you don’t have to take extraordinary measures, ”he said.

In some cases, Goldman noted that there were significant financial costs.

In New York City, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is spending $ 8.1 million per week on expenses related to COVID-19, including cleaning the subway throughout the day and overnight.

The agency says it is approaching security in several ways. And Mark Dowd, the agency’s chief innovation officer, said surfaces can still pose a risk and understanding of the virus has continued to evolve.

“We don’t think taking your foot off the pedal to sanitize our surfaces is the right approach,” he said.

The MTA is also looking for ways to improve ventilation, Dowd said, but it’s much more complicated.

Americans are also wiping store shelves with disinfectant products. Since the pandemic hit, sales have increased by about 30% in The Clorox Co.’s business unit which includes cleaning products.

It remains to be seen whether these habits will last.

At the start of the pandemic in March and April, Paige Zuber said she would return from her corporate catering job in New York City and leave her mask in a bag near the door, immediately change her clothes and shower.

“It was like disinfecting the chaos to make sure I didn’t bring anything into our apartment,” said Zuber, who has since been laid off and moved to Rhode Island.

Zuber still cleans a lot more than it did before the pandemic, but doesn’t go to the same extremes.

At the CDC, Brooks said he tells people to do what makes them comfortable, but keep in mind the relative risk of different routes of transmission.

“As long as you don’t touch your face when you unpack your groceries, wash your hands afterward and take care, I think that may be enough,” he said.

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