How Avoiding Touching Your Face Can Help Fight Coronavirus Infection
Currently, people all around the world are struggling with the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Day by day, the situation is getting worse on the global level.
What’s unfortunate is that hardly any country had expected the spread of the novel disease earlier. As a consequence, it’s difficult for people to deal with COVID-19 and its consequences. So, each moment is introducing new challenges in our lives, right from identifying the actual symptoms to preventing coronavirus.
But, don’t panic. There are ways to stop the spread of the novel virus. Just, be aware of the things that you commonly do in your everyday life, like touching our face.
You may have a habit of touching your face multiple times in a day.
However, did you know this particular habit can land you in a serious medical situation at the present time?
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Let’s find out!
According to an observation by Sydney University in 2015:
- Medical students under observation touched their faces at an average of 23 times every hour.
- Nearly half of those times, around 44%, contact with eyes, nose or mouth was involved.
Now, what’s important is that touching your face every now and then can lead you in trouble because when you touch your face, the microbes on your fingers slip into your body through your nostril, eyes or mouth in just one touch, and that too even before you realize.
Additionally, viruses having an effect on the respiratory system enter the body using mucosal membranes present in the nose, lips, and oral cavity. Needless to say, poor hand hygiene speeds up the whole process of getting a viral infection.
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However, it’s difficult to stop touching your face frequently from now on
You would still be touching your face without being aware of it.
So, what can you do to prevent touching your face and control the spread of coronavirus?
Let’s find out!
Ways to avoid or stop touching your face to lower chances of COVID-19 infection
Wear a mask
Wearing a mask has become a must at the present time. While using a mask all day long may not prevent you from the virus completely, it will make it hard for you to touch your mouth and nose in an effective manner.
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Make sure you buy a mask today itself if you haven’t bought one already.
Practice safe ways to touch your face
One of the prime ways to lower the chances of infection from face touching is ensuring safe touch.
Making use of tissue while touching your face while having a runny nose or sneezing is a safer way in comparison to touching the face with bare hands.
Keep distance from people and avoid handshake
Since people unconsciously keep touching their face multiple times during an hour, it is better to keep the distance from others and avoid physical contact such as handshakes. Doing so can prevent the situation from getting infected from the deadly virus.
Wash your hands
While some may think they are doing good by wearing gloves, the fact is that gloves offer little protection as they can still pick up the virus and spread contamination. Therefore, it is advisable to keep washing your hands frequently so that you can avoid the infection from spreading.
It is anyways a good habit to wash your hands. However, at this time, washing hands with soap and water for about 20 seconds will help you keep infection at bay even if you accidentally touch your face.
Consider soap and water for washing hands a preference if you find your hands visibly dirty, especially after sneezing, coughing, blowing your nose, and using the bathroom.
If the case, water is not available, one can make use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer comprising at least 60% alcohol.
Additional measures you can take:
Wear glasses instead of contact lenses
By wearing glasses rather than of contact lenses, you can minimize touching your eye and spreading the infection.
Wear less makeup
Wearing less makeup may help you stay away from infection. How? It is because it won’t require you to top it up throughout the day and increase the chances of touching your face every now and then.
Keep track of how you use your hands
Most people have a habit of moving their hands while having a conversation. If you too have the same habit, make sure you keep your hands crossed on your lap the next time you talk to someone. This way, you will prevent yourself from accidentally landing your hands on your face.
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Conclusion
Avoiding touching your face constantly or practising safe touch can help you avoid becoming a victim of the novel coronavirus.
Rest, all you can do is being aware of your actions all the time. That being said, start practising the measures mentioned to stay safe from COVID-19.