Life Cycles

Every once in a while, something comes a long and reminds us of what we knew. For instance, it’s important to wash your hands before supper. It’s important to wash them before any meal, before touching your face, after using the toilet…and anytime you think about it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Teaching people about handwashing in the community: Reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 23-40%; Reduces diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58%; Reduces respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by 16-21%; and Reduces absenteeism due to gastrointestinal illness in schoolchildren by 29-57%. There isn’t any data regarding how effective handwashing is in the specific prevention of COVID-19, but it’s wise to be clean, generally speaking. Handwashing with soap is more effective in removing germs from hands when compared to using water alone. Most of us don’t live where soap is a luxury, so let’s commit to using it. Spend 30 seconds washing, when you do. We know about our unconscious tendencies to touch our eyes, nose, and mouth and that those are open avenues for germs to get in. We know our hands pick up germs from foods and drinks (including those prepared by others). We touch doorknobs, handrails, keyboards, money, tables and chairs and the hands of other people; all of these are potentially covered in germs. An unsettling fact is that, although you and I wash after using the toilet, more than 80% of the other humans on the planet do not. (CDC statistics) So, here we are, faced with a new coronavirus; and no vaccine, yet. The only certain way to prevent contracting COVID-19 is to avoid exposure to it. It’s believed it spreads between infected people and others within about a 6’ radius. There’s more uncertainty about it, than what’s known. We DO know that you’re more likely to develop serious complications with the virus if you’re 60+ years, or have underlying health conditions such as heart or lung disease or diabetes. That’s a pretty broad umbrella when you consider what conditions fall into those categories. Data is still being collected, though, and nobody really knows how our special populations will be affected, when all is said and done. COVID-19 has come along and reminded us we’re still fragile. We may not have all the answers and may not be able to stop every case, but we CAN do little things to increase the odds we’ll get through without so much damage. The simplest thing of all is to frequently wash those hands in running water with plenty of soap for a full 30 seconds. Be clean. Be well.