The virus. PPE. Part 1

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MatBin said:
I understand there are now 2 versions of this virus, the regular type we already know about which affects people in the 25- 75 age group, mainly women and a far more virulent/disabling version which only affects men and is considered much more dangerous, please be aware of this and advise all of your male friends/colleagues accordingly.
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Ah.. so it’s discriminatory...:D.

Not too much we can do, Matt. Just going to the supermarket, as I did today, involves getting hold of the trolley handle..or a basket. Picking up fruit/veg others have handled. One day, last year, I saw a man pick his nose and then sort through apples choosing the ripest. Go to the shop loo and there’s the door handle. Best to open it with your elbow..lol. I’ve seen men leave the loos without washing their hands..more common than most people would think, too.

All we can do is avoid the obvious and hope for the best. I’m not impressed that the Cheltenham Races are going ahead 10-13th March,inclusive so a four-day event. . Punters come from all over the world. Maybe numbers will be down this year. But over the 4 days they get approximately 230,000 attending. If confirmed cases ruse significantly between now and then they may be told to cancel by the government..assuming they have the emergency powers in place. I think it’s high risk to have it go ahead.
 
MatBin said:
I understand there are now 2 versions of this virus, the regular type we already know about which affects people in the 25- 75 age group, mainly women and a far more virulent/disabling version which only affects men and is considered much more dangerous, please be aware of this and advise all of your male friends/colleagues accordingly.
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Where did you get that information, Matt ?
Is it from an accredited source ?
 
So the advice is to keep your hands clean, wash and sanitize. But not all sanitizers are the same. Just watching the news this morning, and it says hand sanitizers should be at least 60% alcohol to be effective But some sanitizers do not list the alcohol content, if any.

We use this one here, and it seems to be in most shops. https://www.p1an.co.uk/products/hygienic-gel-instand-hand-cleanser-sanitiser


The bottle we have, does not list the alcohol strength.
 
But it's an extremely general map - 2 cases in Devon - it's a big county!

TBH, if we get it, we get it - crap happens.
 
jonbeeza said:
So the advice is to keep your hands clean, wash and sanitize. But not all sanitizers are the same. Just watching the news this morning, and it says hand sanitizers should be at least 60% alcohol to be effective But some sanitizers do not list the alcohol content, if any.

We use this one here, and it seems to be in most shops. https://www.p1an.co.uk/products/hygienic-gel-instand-hand-cleanser-sanitiser


The bottle we have, does not list the alcohol strength.
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I'm sanitising my insides with alcohol, thankfully bought the larger 660ml bottles in this weeks shop
In fact its been part of my health regimen for over forty years now.

Could be worse if it mainly affects all those unpleasant touchy feely people, don't like my personal space invaded at the best of times
 
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The soap bit of the antibacterial handwash will help reduce the transmission of the virus (and others)
 
jonbeeza said:
So the advice is to keep your hands clean, wash and sanitize. But not all sanitizers are the same. Just watching the news this morning, and it says hand sanitizers should be at least 60% alcohol to be effective But some sanitizers do not list the alcohol content, if any.

We use this one here, and it seems to be in most shops. https://www.p1an.co.uk/products/hygienic-gel-instand-hand-cleanser-sanitiser


The bottle we have, does not list the alcohol strength.
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They’ve sold out anyway but they don’t state %alcohol on web site either!
 
The Carex gel is 70% if you can find it. High alcohol gels tend to have the 'flammable' diamond symbol on the label.
 
Retune said:
The Carex gel is 70% if you can find it. High alcohol gels tend to have the 'flammable' diamond symbol on the label.
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And I understand desirable to alcoholics, which is why hospitals have them nailed down.
 
A few days ago I was looking for gel on Amazon and came across an independent trader asking for offers over £99 for 500ml. !!!

This morning on LBC there was an interview with England's Chief Medical Officer. He mentioned that around 50% of the people who are infected do not know because their symptoms are so mild. That is good for them, but the down side is that they are unaware that they may be infecting others.
 
Chances are that it will (if it hasn't already) get to everybody in some form or another.
 
MatBin said:
And I understand desirable to alcoholics, which is why hospitals have them nailed down.
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I have been visiting folk in hospital and the gels are freely available to the public for use. Same in my GP's surgery.
 
I thought simple soap and hot water was sufficient. I read somewhere recently the virus has a lipid coating and the soap and water helps break that down. I'm writing this from memory so may be mistaken
 
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tijuana taxi said:
I'm sanitising my insides with alcohol, thankfully bought the larger 660ml bottles in this weeks shop
In fact its been part of my health regimen for over forty years now.

Could be worse if it mainly affects all those unpleasant touchy feely people, don't like my personal space invaded at the best of times
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Missus always used it long before this health scare, she already had health issues, so she can't afford to get ill, as she is already pretty weak. She uses the one I posted above, for years. Not sure just how much protection it has given her, if any.
 
sphexx said:
They’ve sold out anyway but they don’t state %alcohol on web site either!
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I am trying to find any that do, I am sure if it was a high alcohol content, then they would shout it out loudly, just to give us all some confidence in their product.
 
Retune said:
That seems a bit harsh.
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Nailing it down or my comment? I am fully aware of the issues surrounding alcoholics within a family.
When we visited our local hospital over the last few years that was the reason I was given (by the nursing staff) for the fact the container holder has a lock.
Maybe it depends where you live if you have a larger problem than in other areas.
 
arclight said:
I have been visiting folk in hospital and the gels are freely available to the public for use. Same in my GP's surgery.
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Suppose it depends where you live and if there's a problem.
 
MatBin said:
And I understand desirable to alcoholics, which is why hospitals have them nailed down.
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I wonder how much of the higher strength would seep into the skin, surely excessive use of high alcohol hand wash could give a breathaliser test, as having a drink.
 
jakeblu said:
I thought simple soap and hot water was sufficient. I read somewhere recently the virus has a lipid coating and the soap and water helps break that down. I'm writing this from memory so may be mistaken
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Yes, coronaviruses have a lipid envelope that should make them vulnerable to both soap and alcohol hand gel. Washing thoroughly with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds is still the best method, but use the hand gel when you don't have access to a tap. Rub it in and allow your hands to dry completely - experiments with flu viruses (also enveloped) suggest that mucus (say from a cough that deposits the virus on a surface) can protect the virus from the alcohol while the mucus is still wet.
 
jonbeeza said:
I wonder how much of the higher strength would seep into the skin, surely excessive use of high alcohol hand wash could give a breathaliser test, as having a drink.
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No idea but apparently the poor bu**ers are so desperate for a "fix" they drink it.
 
jonbeeza said:
I wonder how much of the higher strength would seep into the skin, surely excessive use of high alcohol hand wash could give a breathaliser test, as having a drink.
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I see a new excuse in development here: “no officer nothing to drink but I do have to use a high alcohol hand wash all the time at work“ :).
 
MatBin said:
Nailing it down or my comment? I am fully aware of the issues surrounding alcoholics within a family.
When we visited our local hospital over the last few years that was the reason I was given (by the nursing staff) for the fact the container holder has a lock.
Maybe it depends where you live if you have a larger problem than in other areas.
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Just a bad joke about the ambiguity of who or what was being nailed down, Matt!
 
jakeblu said:
I thought simple soap and hot water was sufficient. I read somewhere recently the virus has a lipid coating and the soap and water helps break that down. I'm writing this from memory so may be mistaken
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Washing with soap and water should work fine as far as getting the virus off skin, but to get maximum protection from that it has to be repeated every time you have made contact with anything on which the virus could lie.
Washing does not provide any residual protection.
Some of the gels and hand-washes remain of the skin and offer residual protection by adhering to skin for a few hours. Probably there is nothing that provides perfect protection, but whatever reduces the risk is worth a go.
 
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tijuana taxi said:
I'm sanitising my insides with alcohol, thankfully bought the larger 660ml bottles in this weeks shop
In fact its been part of my health regimen for over forty years now.
Click to expand...

jonbeeza said:
Missus always used it long before this health scare, she already had health issues, so she can't afford to get ill, as she is already pretty weak. She uses the one I posted above, for years. Not sure just how much protection it has given her, if any.
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Sorry Jon, didn't know your missus was poorly.

I was referring to Beer in 660ml bottles, no idea about the different gels
 
Just been in Boots to get a couple of unrelated bits, fair few people mainly oldies asking for the gel stuff
Sold out apparently and sign saying if available limit of two per person.

World gone mad!!
 
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I am going to stick with my own made organic soap. I bet it will be even more effective due to more alkaline nature. All that mainstream production is killing my skin like nothing else, particularly during cold periods.
 
Just seen on facebook, the band I am seeing in London next month has just had to cancel their Japanese tour because of the virus.
I do hope it doesn't come to that over here, but I suspect that it may come to a point where the bands aren't going to want to fly, let alone gigs and other events are going to get cancelled to stop large gatherings.
 
I don’t know if it’s ethanol or isopropanol in hand sanitizers? But neat isopropanol is easily obtainable (I have a large bottle myself bought for non-medical reasons). I also happen to have (again for non-medical reasons) about 20 litres of vinegar which is very fungicidal and I expect bactericidal etc at 6% but I don’t know that. I do know you wouldn’t want to expose your hands to it for a long time because it will raise large blisters in my experience :(.
 
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