Coronavirus disease, namely COVID-19, is at its peak and has sent the whole world in a frenzy. Perhaps that is an understatement looking at the sort of panic it has caused in the world.
The spread of the disease is such that it has left even the economically powerful countries gasping for survival. The disease has spread at an alarming rate, and people are doing everything to escape its wrath. Unfortunately, no viable treatment procedure or vaccination for the deadly disease has been found yet.
This has forced people to take as many precautions as they can and follow social distancing norms. Governments have made wearing masks in public necessary. Hand sanitizers have quickly become a prized commodity. People have been stocking up clean hand sanitizer gels the way they once used to stock up their favorite snack.
But can antibacterial hand sanitizers kill the coronavirus, or is it another viral hoax?
Can hand sanitizers kill the deadly coronavirus?
Governments all over the world have been proactive in sending public service messages about washing your hands for at least 20 seconds regularly. Regular soap coupled with water is clinically proven to kill the coronavirus. Hand sanitizer, thus, isn’t meant to sterilize your hands when you have soap and water easily available.
But a study from New South Wales found out that an average human touches his or her face 23 times an hour. This stat is a severe cause of worry when you’re out of your home. It’s a necessity to handle office counters, doors, ATMs, and such places when you’re out of your home.
You’re at severe risk of catching the virus when out of your home. This is when hand sanitizer comes as a handy replacement for regular soap and water. You can get rid of the virus in public places using an alcohol-based antibacterial hand sanitizer.
WHO recommends using any hand sanitizer containing above 60% alcohol. But they also have specified the most effective formulas that you should prefer while buying a hand sanitizer. These are 80% ethanol, 1.45% glycerol, and 0.125% hydrogen peroxide and 75% 2-propanol, 1.45% glycerol, and 0.125% hydrogen peroxide formula.
Studies have found out that using clean hand sanitizer gels of such formulation is effective in killing the SARS-CoV-2 virus. You have to use the hand sanitizer for at least 30 seconds to ensure no traces of live virus is left in your hands.
Choosing the right-hand sanitizer
The coronavirus is made up of lipid membranes, which are oil and fat. Soap washes away the coronavirus in the same way it does your oily utensils. But if you have no soap in hand, hand sanitizers are your next best resorts.
It would be best if you only used sanitizers having alcohol content between the range of 60%-95%. Anything below that is ineffective in killing the virus. Sanitizers containing alcohol above 99% will prove to be ineffective since alcohol is highly volatile. It will quickly evaporate and even cause an explosive hazard.
The right amount of alcohol prevents the protein layers of the coronavirus from functioning correctly. It dissolves the lipid membrane surrounding the virus and kills it instantly. Moreover, the virus does not harm your body unless it enters inside it.
But you should always remember that nothing is better than soap and water to wash your hands at home. Keep your hand sanitizer gel handy when stepping out. Take the necessary precautions, and you don’t need to panic. The virus won’t enter you unless you let it.
