Be Careful, Your Hands Can Be The Main Source Of The Spread Of COVID-19

Illustration / Unsplash (Nathan Dumiao)

BANJARMASIN - Member of the University of Lambung Mangkurat (ULM) Expert Team for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 Prof. Dr. dr.Syamsul Arifin MPd said that the spread of COVID-19 most often occurs by hand.

Prof. Syamsul said respiratory diseases such as COVID-19 which is caused by coronavirus are spread when droplets of phlegm containing the virus enter the body through the eyes, nose or throat. However, the spread of the virus from one person to another occurs most often by hand.

"At a time when public compliance has increased towards the use of standardized masks, they are often neglected to wash their hands. This is important because we cannot guarantee whether our hands never touch the face or masks," he said in Banjarmasin as quoted by Antara , Sunday, October 11.

Syamsul revealed a 2016 study in New South Wales, Australia, where people touch their faces 23 times an hour. Nearly half of facial touch involves the mouth, nose, or eyes, which is the easiest route for viruses and bacteria to enter the body.

Therefore, it is important to prevent the spread of the virus by regularly washing hands with soap and running water. Washing your hands may seem easy enough, but the reality is that only 5 percent of people understand proper hand washing.

"Understanding hand washing really needs to be campaigned, especially in commemoration of the world day of washing hands with soap on 15 October," said the Professor of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, ULM.

Syamsul added, washing hands with soap in running water conditions can reduce the risk of developing bacterial disease by 50 percent. However, the condition is that it takes a long time to be clean from most viruses, so wash your hands for at least 20-30 seconds.

Meanwhile, the condition of the hands after washing also deserves attention. Wet hands spread the virus 1,000 times more than dry hands. For this reason, it is very important to dry your hands with a disposable tissue after washing.

"By washing hands properly, it can at least reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission by around 35 percent and it will be more perfect if it is followed by the use of masks and maintaining a minimum distance of 1.5 meters," said the man who is also the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Palangka Raya.