NO other virus has changed the world quite like Covid-19. It has forced us to re-examine everything we do on a daily basis, like grocery shopping, cleaning the house or simply going out for a meal.
During the first Movement Control Order (MCO), I would wipe door handles, tables and the surfaces of every conceivable object in my home with disinfectant every day.
But after almost a year of doing it, like most people, I have developed Covid-19 fatigue.
I still religiously wear a mask when outside and sanitise my hands all the time, but I am not as fastidious about disinfecting surfaces in my home.
But letting your guard down is not the right thing to do, especially now that we are seeing an average of 3,000 to 5,000 cases a day.
High-touch surfaces pose a real risk for transmission, whether at home, office or in public spaces.
Infectious disease specialist Datuk Dr Christopher Lee says Covid-19 can spread through contact with contaminated surfaces.
While the main mode of transmission remains the "aerosol route" or by respiratory droplets spread to people around us, the secondary mode of transmission is through our hands as we touch contaminated surfaces.
Dr Lee explains that cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces should not be taken lightly as it offers an additional layer of protection on top of hand hygiene.
Our hands are naturally less likely to be contaminated if the surfaces we touch are regularly disinfected.
"We do a lot of things with our hands. We touch our eyes, nose, mouth and we put our hands everywhere. Our hands may result in us transmitting the virus to ourselves or others."
Dr Lee adds that after months of wearing masks, practising physical distancing and all the other standard operating procedures related to the pandemic, some level of fatigue has set in, not just in Malaysia but also around the world.
"All of us have stepped back a bit. We take certain shortcuts here and there and one area which we may neglect is the cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces."
DON'T NEGLECT SURFACES
The coronavirus can survive for hours, even days on a surface, depending on the type of surface and the environment it is in.
It is said to be able to survive on cardboard for two days, plastic or stainless steel for 2-3 days and in the refrigerator for over six hours.
Dr Lee says on surfaces which are porous, such as cloth, it may not survive long but on hard surfaces such as tabletops and door handles, it may survive longer.
There's also a difference between cleaning and disinfecting, he stresses. Cleaning means wiping off dust or stains. A surface tends to look clean after we wipe it with a damp cloth.
Disinfection is taking away or killing most of the germs. It's not the same as sterilising or killing all germs, but killing most of them.
It's always good to clean first before disinfecting. Cleaning takes away some of the debris and if debris is there, the disinfectant may not work well.
We should also pay attention to disinfecting frequently touched surfaces and objects. At home, this could be door handles, tabletops, TV remotes or even the steering wheel in the family car if the vehicle is shared.
In an office, this include keyboards, phones, shared stationery like staplers, the handle on the pantry fridge, the water cooler, counter tops or even the armrest on chairs as our hands come into contact with these surfaces all the time.
What's important, says Dr Lee, is that we don't start to take things lightly. We have to see how as ordinary Malaysians, we can play a role over and above what the government is doing in terms of prevention.
All these rules and requirements may seem tedious, he adds, but we clearly have no option.
"We are living in a pandemic now. All our lives have changed and the faster we get used to it, the easier it is to continue with our daily activities."
KEEPING MALAYSIANS SAFE
TO support Malaysians in their efforts to stay safe, Gentle Supreme with the support of the Ministry of Transport is rolling out the "Keep Malaysia Safe and Protected" campaign in conjunction with the launch of its new Wizact 24 Disinfecting Spray and Clean.
The surface disinfectant kills 99.9 per cent of viruses and bacteria and offers protection against multiple touches for up to 24 hours.
As an added protective measure to complement existing comprehensive and regular Covid-19 prevention protocols implemented by local
transportation services, Gentle Supreme will be supporting the disinfection efforts at 24 transportation hubs within the Klang Valley beginning with selected Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations.
Currently, 20 per cent of the Malaysian population utilises public transport every day.
During their commute, they frequently come into contact with exposed surfaces such as hand railings, passenger seats on buses and trains, and ticket turnstiles which can harbour infectious bacteria and viruses such as Covid-19.
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