Coronavirus

I’m as alarmed as anyone by the coronavirus outbreak. There is a plethora of news about it to which I can add one suggestion. I can also warn that fake news and daft conspiracy theories are out there. I think you can take input from reputable news sources as being fairly accurate; it is essential to use common sense. The difficulty is that there is only limited information at present as much is still unknown.

My take is based largely on the BBC and sites I consider reputable. It seems that this is a virus ( not any other type of germ such as bacteria ) which is highly infectious. The virus particularly infects the lungs and travels via droplets expelled in coughs or sneezes. The droplets containing the virus land on surfaces where it can live for several days. You can catch the virus by breathing in droplets from an infected person but this appears to be a secondary cause of rapid spreading.

The key to preventing exposure appears to be to clean any surface where the virus may linger. The most talked about measure is to wash hands. Washing means thoroughly with soap and water for the time it takes to sing “ Happy Birthday “ twice. This is a surprisingly long time, about 40 seconds by my reckoning. I see that 20 seconds is being widely reported but I question whether this is sufficient. It is important to wash the webs between fingers.

In terms of surface cleaning; of skin, regular hot showers, hard surfaces by wiping with a sanitiser, clothes by normal washing using a hot  cycle and utensils in dishwasher also with a hot cycle. If hand washing dishes then use hot water.

For a sanitiser hand cleaner or wipe this should be alcohol based. The important warning is that sanitiser products claiming to be anti bacterial will be of little or no use. Coronavirus is not a bacteria which are much more susceptible to attack.

I have found that common sanitisers are in limited availability. My suggestion for a very effective alternative is to use dilute bleach. Bleach is readily available (at time of writing ). Thick bleach used for toilet cleaning is fine but ensure it is bleach containing and not a toilet cleaner. To use, dilute to about 5% in cold or cool water and wipe on surfaces Do not use hot water for dilution as the bleach will decompose faster. Bleach is a strong skin irritant and protective gloves ( washing up gloves ) must be worn. Bleach solution is damaging to the eyes and must not be splashed around, ideally wear eye protection. The dilute solution has a limited life, I suggest a day maximum. The active chemical in bleach reacts with the virus effectively destroying it.

The usual form of bleach essentially releases chlorine as the reactive ingredient.  Diluted bleach should smell faintly of chlorine. Mixing with acidic materials such as vinegar produces a rapid evolution of chlorine. Where there is a strong chlorine odour avoid breathing in the gas and discard the solution.

I’ve spent a significant part of my career concerned with cleaning of all types. While cleaning visible soil decreases bacteria and algae I haven’t seen any evidence that soiling makes any difference to the coronavirus. This means that there are no visual cues to the virus or its disinfection.

As for ourselves we have decided to “cocoon”. This for us means staying at home only venturing out when strictly necessary. Both Annette and I fall very clearly into the vulnerable category both by age and pre existing issues. So although our precautions are fairly extreme equally the risk is high if we contract the disease. So far we are on Day 2 as I write.  On Day 1 I sanitised all the handles etc. around the house. I am feeling a bit daunted as yesterday the Chief Scientist and Chief Health guy talked about 14 weeks to the peak if delay tactics are successful  In a way we are prepared with most recently taking instruction on video links to our children. While we have some food stock as a Brexit precaution we are relying on home deliveries.
We have both become big internet users and that is expected to be big source of information and contact. For the present we have modest stocks of books and jigsaws. The latter has become a big pastime for Annette. I have suspended the local book club and although I attended a U3A meeting a few days ago I intend it to be the last for the present. The last thing we attended was the funeral of Sam’s husband. Sam, originally Alison’s schoolfriend, has become a family friend over the years and we wished to support her