Wash your hands-what to do (Debate)

Tue 31 Mar 2020, 21:44

Whether factual or not, the onus should not be on me to have to check this out but on whoever puts out the information (is the point I am making), especially when it is presented as 'news'. And then there are facts and what is practically sensible. What am I to make of some of the advice, for instance, not to shake clothing? My daughter is ill - am I not to change her bed sheets?  We're self-isolating because we want to help the NHS but much of the well-intended (I absolutely get that) advice leads to needless panic for the majority of people who will be absolutely fine, and takes away our attention from the 3-10% who really need it. And re the surfaces argument, there is much more nuance there too, then what the post makes out: https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/03/20/sars-cov-2-survive-on-surfaces/

Tue 31 Mar 2020, 19:06

Then I suggest you read the New Scientist for a description of the virus and www.jhu.edu for the information about surfaces.

The original post in the forum attributed to JHU did contain some inaccurate information , as I attempted to explain I intended to check it out, but the post in the News is factually correct and backed up by evidence.

Tue 31 Mar 2020, 18:14

I second G Clarke's request. The item should not stay in the News section, no unattributed 'facts' should. I tried to raise this point elsewhere.

Tue 31 Mar 2020, 09:45

Given that JHU has denied it is the source of this, and some of the queries raised below about the reliability and correctness of everything in the statement, please remove the posting of this statement as the advice given in the ‘Latest News’ more ‘official’ part of the website. Instead you could put up there advice from actual officially-endorsed and medically accurate sites.

Mon 30 Mar 2020, 22:40

Thanks Nick, and Nikki. I find this very helpful. 

Mon 30 Mar 2020, 21:38

And 25 degrees celcius is only just warm Tanya; don't forget normal body temp is 37 degrees or thereabouts so it's well below that.

Mon 30 Mar 2020, 19:18 (last edited on Mon 30 Mar 2020, 19:21)

Johns Hopkins has formally denied being the source: https://twitter.com/JohnsHopkins/status/1243948839427395584?s=20

Somebody here - https://www.opednews.com/articles/Tips-for-Avoiding-Coronavi-by-Meryl-Ann-Butler-Corona-Virus-Coronavirus-Covid-19_Johns-Hopkins_Physicians-Response-To-Coronavirus_Soap-200329-113.html - has attempted to get to the source of this text, which appears to have been bouncing around the internet for the last few days. A lot of the advice in it seems sensible, and some of the information comes directly from known research - but that doesn't mean it all does!

Mon 30 Mar 2020, 18:41

Tanya, I think you have just identified another problem with this health advice! 

WHO suggests that water temperature does not matter. What matters is the soap and the thoroughness of washing. The water needs to be at a comfortable temperature, so that you do it thoroughly.

The FactCheck report about this is here: https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck-qa-how-do-you-avoid-coronavirus-heres-what-the-experts-say 

Mon 30 Mar 2020, 17:34 (last edited on Mon 30 Mar 2020, 17:35)

It may seem like a daft question but how hot is 25 degrees celsius? When washing hands does this feel very hot to the touch, just bearable or a bit more than luke warm? I don’t have a thermometer to check!

Mon 30 Mar 2020, 17:15 (last edited on Mon 30 Mar 2020, 17:28)

Good luck with checking the source of this post, Nikki. I've come across loads of people trying to check these claims that have been widely disseminated via Facebook, including round Africa and Romania, and which was translated into various languages as well.

I have seen nobody who has managed to verify the source of these claims. Here's where I looked: https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/03/17/coronavirus-virology-vaccine-social-distancing-update/ 

I see somebody posting there suggests it is 80% accurate; but that means 20% inaccurate! I notice, for example, that the post says gel-based hand sanitiser must be above 65% alcohol. Our NHS guidelines seem to say that sanitiser above 60% alcohol is sufficient. 

I see this advice is now posted in News, and not just here on the Forum. I don't think it should be! In fact, I think it should be confined to the Debate section of the Forum.

Mon 30 Mar 2020, 14:12

I am currently checking out the facts, this is indeed from the JHU website referenced from an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, but shortly, when I have verified the information, I shall post it on News in a more easily understandable form , where hopefully it will be transferred to the Health section. 

Mon 30 Mar 2020, 13:31

Where is this actually from? The JHU Coronavirus Advice Centre on their website doesn’t have all this detail. R4 World at One has just warned against such postings - specifically mentioning one supposedly from John Hopkins University - many with false, misleading, or dangerous information.

Mon 30 Mar 2020, 11:18

Johns Hopkins University has sent this excellent summary to avoid contagion, share it because it is very clear

The virus is not a living organism, but a protein molecule (DNA) covered by a protective layer of lipids (fats) which, if absorbed by the cells of the ocular, nasal or mouth…

Long post - click to read full text