Coronavirus is carried by airborne droplets and contact, so all working surfaces in a pharmacy must be regularly disinfected in order to decrease the pathogenicity level, but how real is the risk of getting coronavirus from objects and surfaces according to nowadays researches?
Virus is a unique non-cellular agent, it ruines a host’s health without which he can’t exist normally. At the same time, it is unstable in the external environment.
It is still necessary to wash your hands and clean surfaces but within reasonable limits. For example, thorough sanitizing store purchases and airing them outside for a few days are unreasonable. Apart from inefficiency, excessive cleanliness can fool people into thinking that they are protected. At the same time, they take less care about inhalation of viral particles that is the main infection mode. Nowadays, it is clear: practising social distancing is more effective than disinfecting surfaces with all kinds of sanitizers 15 times every day.
It is assumed that SARS-CoV-2 lifespan on paper is up to 2 days, on glass and banknotes - up to 4 days, on stainless steel or plastic - up to 1 week and more than 7 days - on a mask. The colder a surface the greater the probability of dangerous particles settling is.
The Central Research Institute of Epidemiology in Russia latest researches revealed : only 0.2% washouts (from various surfaces and environmental objects in medical, commercial premises, water use facilities, transport infrastructure) were tested positive for coronavirus. There was no coronavirus in water and food. It confirms the instability of an infectious agent in the absence of a living organism
The banknotes are one of possible sources of infection. According to the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness specialists announcement, the coronavirus remains viable on banknotes for up to 28 days. At the same time, there is no point in using quartz or disinfecting the banknotes: the “virus database” will renew after subsequent contact with coronavirus carriers. At home, you can completely damage your savings, for example, if you put them into a microwave oven for disinfection.
Instead of that, it is reasonable to reduce banknotes usage for the benefit of plastic bank cards and cashless payment and also to take care of personal hand hygiene.
Apart from banknotes, coins and plastic cards, most people touch smartphones, ipads and other gadgets every day. According to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia, conclusions, the coronavirus survives on these surfaces for 28 days at room temperature and shows greater resistance in the environment compared to the influenza A virus, which does not overcome the 17-day interval. The experiment was conducted in the absence of ultraviolet radiation, since direct sunlight inactivates the virus within 24 hours. To minimize the risk of infection, Rospotrebnadzor employees recommend wiping the laptop keyboard and other gadgets with a disinfectant after visiting public transport, public places and at the end of the working day. For this purpose, wet alcohol-containing wipes are suitable.
At the same time, contact between patients and doctors carries the least risk of infection, thanks to the adoption of adequate personal protective measures in hospitals. The number of infected people increases during self-isolation and lockdown within the family, but decreases in society due to social contacts restriction.
The CDC’s Center of for Disease Control and Prevention has published the guidance of important rules for pharmacies during the pandemic:
Stay safe!
You can discuss any topic with us in Telegram chat
Do not have yet an account
Already have an account?