Doctor’s advice: Wash hands, disinfect surfaces to protect against Covid-19

CORONAVIRUS | Good hand hygiene, lessening non-essential human contact and wiping down common surfaces can help reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19, advises infectious diseases expert Dr Christopher Lee (above).

The former deputy director-general for Research and Technical Support at the Health Ministry said that one should avoid touching their eyes and nose with their hands.

Lee also advised the people to wash their hands regularly - either with water or with alcohol-based hand sanitisers.

He agreed with Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye that shaking hands and other non-essential human contacts should be substituted with other gestures.

“Hand hygiene is a problem.

“Will these (steps) help in the outcome of transmission of the coronavirus? I think it would,” Lee said in an interview with Malaysiakini and Kini News Bulletin on Monday.

The ministry previously issued a similar advice on the disease.

 Disinfect surfaces

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified Covid-19 as a disease that spreads via respiratory droplets.

Preliminary information from the global health organisation suggests that the virus can survive “a few hours or more” on surfaces.

In light of this, Lee advised that hypochlorite or a disinfectant be used to wipe down common surfaces to reduce the risk of contagion.

“The virus can stay (on a surface) for a long time, unfortunately.

“It depends on a few things - the ambient environment, like the temperature and the humidity, these are the two major factors. The third factor is the (type) of surface,” he explained.

Hotter and less humid environments would reduce the survival rate of the virus.

Less porous surfaces would also enable infected moisture to dry up quicker.

As said by many experts, Lee recommended that only those who are ill to wear surgical face masks.

However, should the outbreak spread in Malaysia, he advised that workplaces take precautions by allowing employees to work from home.

Alternatively, he said, companies could stagger work hours so that fewer people would be in contact at any one time.

Balance caution with disruption

Lee, who used to advise the ministry on infectious diseases, urged against panic and overreaction to the disease.

He noted that the situation in Malaysia was under control and commended the Health Ministry for handling the outbreak well.

As of yesterday, Malaysia had 22 confirmed Covid-19 cases - six Malaysians, 15 China nationals and one US citizen. The virus affecting three of the Malaysians and five of the China nationals was locally transmitted.

All cases have been traced and nine patients have since recovered.

Lee recommended that members of the public should try to strike a balance between the real risk of the Covid-19 contagion and the level of disruption they were willing to make to their daily lives.

“I think when an outbreak like this happens, there may be some amount of social disruption or inconvenience, but all of us have to deal with it.

“But let's not overreact that (this virus) makes us helpless and we cannot live our daily lives at all...

“Be enlightened by what you can do by yourself and look at what we can change,” Lee said. - Mkini