The COVID-19 pandemic requires that we remain vigilant in our daily lives. Each of us can take some simple steps to help slow down the spread of coronavirus and protect ourselves, our families and our communities.
The steps are:
Wash your hands often with simple soap and water.
Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth mask or non-surgical mask when around others
Avoid crowded places and practice distance from fellow human beings (stay at least 6 feet apart from others)
Here are some ways for you and your family to help slow down the spread of coronavirus disease.
Wash your hands
Because COVID-19 has never been seen in humans before, there is no current vaccine or drug to prevent or treat COVID-19 approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The best way to prevent the disease is to avoid exposure (or exposure to others) to this virus.
First, practice simple hygiene. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for 20 seconds - especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after coughing, sneezing, or sneezing. Learn how to wash your hands to prevent the spread of coronavirus and other ailments.
If soap and water are not available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that consumers use alcohol-based sanitizers that contain at least 60% percent ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol).
The FDA continues to warn consumers about hand sanitizers that contain methanol, also called wood alcohol. Methanol is extremely toxic and should not be used with hand sanitizer. If absorbed by the skin or swallowed, methanol can cause serious health problems, such as seizures and blindness, or even death.
Before you buy hand sanitizer or use some that you have at home, check this list to see if hand sanitizer is likely to contain methanol. Most hand sanitizers found to contain methanol do not list it as an ingredient on the label (because it is not an acceptable ingredient in the product), so it is important to check the FDA list to see if the company or product is included. Keep reviewing this list frequently, as it is updated daily.
The FDA has also expanded the list to include hand sanitizers that contain other contaminants and products that contain less than the required amount of active ingredient to be effective.
If you have a hand sanitizer that is on the FDA list, stop using it. Learn how to find your hand sanitizer in the unused list and how to use hand sanitizer safely.