Dr. Fauci Says to Focus on Hand Hygiene Instead on Wiping Grocery Bags

A previous report from Science Times revealed that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can live on surfaces for 28 days based on the study of Australia's national science agency. Despite that, Dr Anthony Fauci urges people to focus on their hand hygiene than wiping down their grocery bags.

David Morens, a senior adviser to Dr Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said that epidemiologists, physicians, and virologists are not too concerned about coronavirus on the surfaces, Washington Post reported.

Not only that, but the CDC as well as other scientists have emphasized that the primary mode of coronavirus transmission is not through the surfaces but through droplets that might enter a person's body by the nose or mouth.

Wiping Surfaces and Grocery Bags

Back in the early days of the pandemic, the idea of getting COVID-19 from surfaces and grocery bags is terrifying, and people are advised to always keep their surroundings disinfected even the food they bought from the store to avoid infection.

But as the months passed by, it became clear how coronavirus transmission is done. The CDC updated its guidelines about surfaces harboring SARS-CoV-2 and said that COVID-19 is not necessarily transmitted via surfaces. As long as people practice health protocols, such as washing their hands often and practicing social distancing, people should be fine, according to BGR.

In a recent interview, Dr Fauci has made it clear that people need not worry about wiping down their grocery bags and other products they buy from the store as they should focus more on hand hygiene.

Dr Fauci said on Monday during the Yahoo Finance's All Markets Summit, that the virus is primarily transmitted by the respiratory route by either droplets or aerosol. Droplets could travel in the air to the nose, mouth, and eyes. Meanwhile, there is still little to know about how exactly aerosol aid in the transmission of COVID-19.

Moreover, the fact that the virus can live on inanimate objects does not necessarily mean that it greatly affects coronavirus transmission; it is only a minor aspect, Fauci added. "We can't say it's zero. It certainly is real and is finite, but it's minor."

Coronavirus on Surfaces

Recently, the Chinese CDC said that SARS-CoV-2 can survive on frozen food packaging and is likely to be infectious. Previous studies also showed that it could survive for a few hours to days which means that getting infected after touching surfaces is real. However, it is unlikely and would only happen due to negligence.

Like many people, Dr Fauci also orders a lot of take-out these days. He shared that when handling his take out bags or food, he first washes his hands before opening them as it is what everyone should first do.

"I think doing that natural public health measure and not worrying about touching things that might or might not have anything to do with transmissibility, just focus on washing your hands," he concluded.