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Can soap really 'kill' the coronavirus? (video)

#1
C C Offline
INTRO: Constantly being told to wash your hands? Us too. So we're diving into the chemistry behind why soap is so effective against viruses like the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.


https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/K2pMVimI2bw

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#2
confused2 Offline
If correct ^^ the trick isn't the running water that 'washes away' the virus but the soap that destroys it. So in places without access to masses of running water a bowl of soapy water would still be effective. If correct that might be a useful message to send out to people that don't have access to hot and cold running water 24 hours a day. Sometimes it might be helpful to think of people who have only as much water as they can carry.
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#3
Secular Sanity Offline
The handwashing is legit. It will kill the virus. The part that’s worrisome is that I think it might be giving people the wrong impression. This virus is airborne. Handwashing is not going to stop it. I think that all this talk about handwashing is confusing people. You go shopping, grab a sanitizing cloth, scrub the cart, don’t touch your face and you think you’ve reduced your chances drastically, but that is not the case. If the person standing next to you in line is contagious or the one that just left the isle you’ve just entered…well, you get the point.
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#4
confused2 Offline
(Mar 25, 2020 03:46 AM)Secular Sanity Wrote: The handwashing is legit. It will kill the virus. The part that’s worrisome is that I think it might be giving people the wrong impression. This virus is airborne. Handwashing is not going to stop it. I think that all this talk about handwashing is confusing people. You go shopping, grab a sanitizing cloth, scrub the cart, don’t touch your face and you think you’ve reduced your chances drastically, but that is not the case. If the person standing next to you in line is contagious or the one that just left the isle you’ve just entered…well, you get the point.
The old guy giving the advice is an old guy. Probably doesn't do much shopping.

Edit - I'm just guessing about the old guy not doing much shopping.
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#5
Secular Sanity Offline
My son said yesterday, that he realizes that my mothering is instinctual, but it’s really annoying, and that we’re going to butt heads, if I don’t ease up. There’s a joke in my family. Before I can say, I told you so, they immediately say, "You should’ve been more forceful!"

So, here are my concerns. This is the information that’s out there.

Quote:Person-to-person spread
The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
• Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. [source]


Quote:Is COVID-19 airborne?
In infection control, we draw a line between things that are transmitted by traveling in the air briefly in respiratory droplets and things that are actually aerosolized and float around for a while. Think of droplets as small bits of fluid that you can feel and see when someone sneezes. You sneeze or cough and these droplets get on surfaces and then you touch them and get them on your hands, or they can fly right into your mouth or nose or eyes. That’s how most coronaviruses are transmitted and that’s how we think this one is too. 

Aerosols are different. Think of hairspray after you use it in the bathroom. When you go back to the bathroom later, you may still be able to smell it because it’s lingering in the air. Obviously, we’re learning a lot about this virus, but most coronaviruses aren’t airborne that way. Generally speaking, there may be times when some of these droplets or particles are airborne, but it’s limited. [source]

The information is very conflicted. The Chinese officials said that they believe the coronavirus is transmitted only via droplets, implying that they don’t believe airborne or contact transmission plays a role, but there’s a lot of experts in the field, who think that this statement is not rooted in science, but a means of controlling panic.

The theory behind it is that larger droplets will only travel a short distance due to gravity. They’re trying to say that they’re too large to be buoyant and travel on air currents. I thought about how as kids, we’ve all watched dust particles in sunbeams floating in the air for quite some time. Dust particles are about 10 microns



[Image: particle-size-of-coronavirus-and-pm2.5-and-masks.jpg]
[Image: particle-size-of-coronavirus-and-pm2.5-and-masks.jpg]



I thought about this prior to locating this article, but this isn't the only one. There are lots of other articles and studies on it, as well.

Quote:…Many experts in public health have, for very good reason, voiced frustration at the lack of science-based information they read regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This is compounded by sometimes conflicting recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

…Mixed messages about COVID-19 transmission
To date there is no direct research-based evidence describing exactly how SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted. Many sources say that COVID-19 is transmitted only by droplets and contact, but guidance from leading public health groups on transmission routes are inconsistent and conflicting.

(Droplet transmission is usually defined as "respiratory droplets carrying infectious pathogens [that] transmit infection when they travel directly from the respiratory tract of the infectious individual to susceptible mucosal surfaces of the recipient, generally over short distances, necessitating facial protection."3 Close contact involves hand transfer of surface contamination to mouth, nose or eyes, hand washing and gloves being common controls.)

The WHO says, "Based on the available evidence, the COVID-19 virus is transmitted between people through close contact and droplets, not by airborne transmission."4 The WHO derived its COVID-19 guidance from its MERS guidance,5 China's experience with COVID-19, and WHO experience with SARS and MERS.6

(Airborne transmission is defined as "dissemination of either airborne droplet nuclei or small particles in the respirable size range containing infectious agents that remain infective over time and distance."7 An important requirement of airborne transmission is that it can occur only at a long distance from the source, according to the CDC.8)

In risk communication guidelines for healthcare, however, the WHO states, "COVID-19 appears to spread most easily through close contact with an infected person. When someone who has COVID-19 coughs or sneezes, small droplets are released and, if you are too close, you can breathe in the virus" (emphasis added).9  But wait: Inhalation is not part of the traditional definition of droplet transmission.

…Infectious aerosols are inhalable
Contrary to popular belief, the larger particles (5 to 15 micrometers [µm]) will not immediately drop to the ground but will remain airborne for several minutes. Smaller particles (less than 5 µm) will remain in the air for many minutes or even hours.

All particles will immediately begin to evaporate (mucus contains a lot of water), which means the range of particle sizes will decrease overall. Smaller particles are more affected by diffusion than gravity, thus making them more likely to remain airborne. In the absence of air currents, airborne particles will disperse slowly throughout a space.

COVID-19 Transmission Messages Should be Hinged on Science
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