With rapidly diminishing availability of commercial cleaning supplies, simply diluted bleach, which is readily available, can effectively disinfect homes, offices, and environment to prevent sustained transmission from inanimate objects. Bleach, when used in right dilution, can serve as an alternate option for Alcohol Based Disinfectant. However, the dilutions are important so are the adverse effects from exposure.
SARS-CoV-2 suggests that COVID-19 may remain viable for hours to days, on inanimate surfaces, such as metal, glass, or plastic, for up to 9 days. With exponentially rising COVID-19 cases in the United States, commercial disinfect supplies are in high demand and will unquestionably be limited in the near future. We will have to get creative with available resources, all the while taking safety precautions to ensure our efforts improve and not worsen the ongoing situation.
While the exact viral load on inanimate surfaces is unknown during an outbreak, it is critical to disinfect frequently touched surfaces. With rapidly diminishing availability of commercial cleaning supplies, simply diluted bleach, which is readily available, can effectively disinfect homes, offices, and environment to prevent sustained transmission from inanimate objects. As with many disinfectants, minimizing long-term skin contact and ensuring good ventilation can minimize clinical toxicity.
The virus can efficiently be inactivated by 62% to 71% ethanol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide, or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite within 1 minute. Dilutions of ∼0.1% sodium hypochlorite are clinically effective with minimal irritation or sensitization.5 One should be mindful that corrosive injury on mucous membrane/skin contact is possible with excess volumes or mishandling, so appropriate caution and moderation are necessary. This solution should ideally be used within 1 month of preparation and stored in a closed, opaque container at room temperature.
∼0.1% sodium hypochlorite can be made by a roughly 1:50 dilution of household bleach (∼5.25% to 6% sodium hypochlorite) in tap water. The proposed formulation is shown to disinfect surfaces of the novel coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends an approximately 1:50 dilution to disinfect COVID-19, explicitly noting 5 tablespoons (one-third cup) bleach per gallon of water or 4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water.
This is a classic example of invincibility and complacency – that nothing will happen to me even while the entire world is suffering from COVID.
Passengers went on a cruise while COVID was raging, presuming that COVID won’t infect their isolation on the ship (in deep water!) never realizing that asymptomatics are the core carrier rather than those who are actively infected.
Exactly this is what happens around us. Yesterday, I was talking with a friend and I realized, he was not using a mask despite the incidence being very high in their state.
That’s pathetic, I understand coronavirus is not seen and leave behind a trail of fragrance but understand, every time an asymptomatic exhales or sneezes, they blow approximately 54 million copies of the virus in the air. It is now known that these copies stay for at least 3-6 hours in the air. That air may drift in your direction and not having a mask while exposed to the potentially infectious airborne virus is culpable negligence, especially knowing that it may make you another asymptomatic carrier.
This pandemic is replete with examples where the asymptomatic have infected the gullible and innocent unexposed. It is the later who has taken the brunt from SARS CoV2.
While COVID-19 is taking a huge toll across the globe, humanity is displaying a polar reaction – a not so invincible risk taking attitude and a scared, vulnerability. The answer lies in between these two polar extremes. A balanced approach will help to prevent COVID at the individual and family level, which will eventually also be reflected as a social index for measuring our progress while preventing SARS CoV2 and treating COVID-19 patients.
I discussed the ‘good and not so good’ aspects associated with the prevention of COVID-19 and our own vulnerabilities. The initial battle with COVID is in our mind, where we either think we are vulnerable or invincible.
Let us visit the “Not So Good” part early.
The spike of COVID-19 is huge across the sunbelt of the US. Several southern states are massively infected due to the COVID-19. The virus is seeing a massive resurgence in the UK, EU, and Australia. It is still in its ascendancy in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and several southeast Asian countries. The Middle East is just catching the fever. Brazil and Latin America (currently in their winter) are seeing a heavy toll.
The Good and Not so Good of COVID-19
Intrinsic Vulnerabilities are in our mind
You may be thinking, our body is vulnerable and weak and so we catch the infection. While, most amongst us are following precautions., precautions are not enough. We see at least two major vulnerabilities despite following precautions –
Strictly following precautions and giving up occasionally
Not understanding the innate immunity and how that helps
Let us talk about the occasional vulnerability that we create and expose.
Restless Inside Home
Several amongst you are restless inside the confines of your home. You are frustrated, bored and some are just angry enough to throw those precautions to disdain. You want to step outside, you are thinking the risk is not what it sounds like, you may be thinking you are young and have a very low probability of acquiring the viral infection. You may be thinking some socialization is ok, more is not good, so let us go for a walk, maybe pub, may have a blast with a limited circle of friends, maybe shopping, etc. etc.
Are you Alone?
Think like this –
1. If the risk is low, why do we see the resurgence or ascendancy of COVID across the globe?
2. If you are young, have no risk factors, why are young people succumbing to illness?
3. If you say, your ethnicity provides protection? Can you check the mortality data for those exposed within your ethnicity?
You may be thinking little social interactions are good (walks, pubs, dinners, outings, little shopping, little business, etc.). It is exactly these vulnerabilities that are perpetuating the spread of viruses.
Do you know?
For every symptomatic patient, we have anywhere from 5 to 10 asymptomatic patients. Are you sure you are interacting with someone asymptomatic (carrier) and have no virus? I have seen several cases where the person stepping out got the asymptomatic carrier, infected those innocent parents/kids/spouse/family members and the later died. Consider these scenarios
I don’t think you can live with the guilt of being responsible for the death of near or dear one.
Presuming you will survive, what is the guarantee that your organs will not be compromised for a long time?
Let us presume, you die from illness, have you thought of the implications of your loss on those surviving? Please read surviving with COVID stories and make your choice.
How do you protect yourself?
CDC has given guidelines for protecting yourself. Every Government has made the best attempts in guiding their citizen from COVID-19. Following those is the utmost while undertaking any activities for your local area.
Activate your Internal Resilience
First and foremost, please decrease your exposure and risk. However, boosting your immune system with Yoga, Physical Activities, Sleep, Balanced Diet (and avoid refined diet), and meditation are great ways of doing so. I also saw some interesting read on Mayo Clinics. However, several educational institutions are providing a wealth of knowledge on those. However, reaching out to your doctor at the first instance of suspicion is best.
The Good News
In its July 7, 2020 issue, Nature Immunology carried an interesting article on why the disease burden varies differently across regions. Simultaneously, the same paper has speculated that previous infection from Common Cold Coronaviruses (CCC) exposure also provides protection, against SARS CoV2. Excerpts from the article below
‘Pre-existing T cell immunity is related to CCC exposure, it will become important to better understand the patterns of CCC exposure in space and time. It is well established that the four main CCCs are cyclical in their prevalence, following multiyear cycles, which can differ across geographical locations. This leads to the speculative hypothesis that differences in CCC geo-distribution might correlate with the burden of COVID-19 disease severity. Furthermore, highly speculative hypotheses related to pre-existing memory T cells can be proposed regarding COVID-19 and age. Children are less susceptible to COVID-19 clinical symptoms. Older people are much more susceptible to fatal COVID-19. The reasons for both are unclear’.
If these speculations are proven, it can rightly be said that T Cells have a lasting memory towards previous CCC that may be reactivated during a SARS CoV2 infection and offer protection.
mymilieu.org 