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Expert Warns Coronavirus Can Live On Your Smartphones For Up To NINE Days

An Infectious Diseases and Immunology specialist has revealed that it’s not just your hands, fruit and vegetables and rings that you need to be careful with when it comes to COVID-19, but also your smartphone, the Daily Mail reported.

Professor Nigel McMillan, from Griffith University, specializes in infectious diseases and the risk of transmission, as well as how the coronavirus compares to other diseases.

He told the Daily Mail that while the virus can live on myriad surfaces, you need to be especially careful with your smartphone — which, on average, we touch 2,617 times daily.

Studies have found that coronavirus can survive on the kinds of smooth glass and plastic found in smartphones for up to nine days depending on the conditions.

“COVID-19 can live on any surface and the moister it is, the longer it will live there,” Professor McMillan explained.


“The safest thing to do is consider your phone an extension of your hand, so remember you are transferring whatever is on your hand to the phone,” he added.

With this in mind, every time you put your smartphone down somewhere or do something and then touch your phone, you should be cleaning it.

“Don’t put it down in random places if you can avoid it,” Professor McMillan warned.

“Clean it every time someone else touches it, too, as the virus could be living on it far longer than you think,” he added.

To wash your device, Professor McMillan recommends you use either hand sanitizer or lens cleaner for glasses.

“They must have at least 60 or 70 percent alcohol,” the professor said.

“Alternatively, they need isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol. Spray and wipe products will also do in a pinch as they have detergent,” he added.

Here’s the best way to clean your smartphone:

* Use only a soft, lint-free cloth.
* Avoid excessive wiping.
* Unplug all power sources, devices, and cables.
* Keep liquids away from your device.
* Don’t allow moisture to get into any openings.
* Avoid aerosol sprays, bleaches, and abrasives.
* Avoid spraying cleaners directly onto your device.
* Experts recommending the use of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipes or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes to wipe down any hard, nonporous surfaces.

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Meanwhile, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a proper method for washing your hands that will help to stop you and those around you from getting sick.

The agency recommends you wash your hands at frequent intervals to stay healthy and advises that everyone follow five steps to ensure they are washing their hands the right way.

“The first step is to get your hands wet with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap,” the CDC said.

“Then, lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.”

However, the third step is where many people might be falling down.

The CDC recommends you scrub your hands “for at least 20 seconds” which is the same amount of time it takes to hum Happy Birthday twice.

“Rinse your hands well under clean running water,” the guide advises.

Finally, you should use a clean towel to dry your hands or air dry them.


Source: Daily Mail
Expert Warns Coronavirus Can Live On Your Smartphones For Up To NINE Days Expert Warns Coronavirus Can Live On Your Smartphones For Up To NINE Days Reviewed by Yen The Explorer on March 28, 2020 Rating: 5

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