Safety slideshow for SPP.

1. Smokey Point Productions
Safety and Health Program
➧Handwashing
➧-Credit for slide show to Skaggs School of Pharmacy and
Pharmaceutical Sciences-

2. Effective Handwashing During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• How does the SARS-CoV-2 virus travel?
• What is the most effective way to remove virus
particles from my hands?
• What about using hand sanitizer?

3. How does the SARS-CoV-2 virus travel?
 Through sneezes
 Through coughs
 Between people who are within
about 6 feet of one another
 Touching an infected surface, then
touching your face (especially eyes,
nose and mouth)
Image by Robin Higgins on Pixabay

4. Why soap & water handwashing
is your #1 choice
➧ Coronavirus particles (virions) form weak chemical bonds
with cells on the surface of your skin
➧ Good handwashing with soap & water removes virus particles
in TWO significant ways

5. How soap & water handwashing works
➧ Scrubbing your hands with soap and water
physically overpowers the weak glue-like
bonds that exist between virus particles and
your skin cells
➧ Vigorously washing your hands for at least 20
seconds removes virus particles and allows
them to be rinsed away
MECHANISM #1 – physical
removal of the virus

6. Why soap & water handwashing is your #1 choice
(if you love science, this is so cool)
 Soaps interact with the lipid (fatty) bilayer
in the envelope that surrounds viral RNA
and holds the virus together
 Soap causes the lipid envelope to rip apart
and the coronavirus particle is destroyed
 However, the soap needs enough time to work
(hence the 20-second rule! )
 Pieces of destroyed virus particles are washed
down the drain
MECHANISM #2 –
destroying virus particles

7. Effective handwashing
➧ Handwashing using good technique is the BEST way to remove the virus
• Wet hands first with water, then apply soap (basic soap works fine)
• Produce lots of soapsuds
• Vigorously wash your hands for at least 20 seconds
• Don’t miss thumbs, wrists, between fingers, and other nooks and crannies
• Scrub the underside of fingernails every time your wash your hands
• Keep fingernails trimmed short to help keep them clean
• Rinse hands with water and dry thoroughly

8. Effective use of hand sanitizer
➧ Alcohol-based hand sanitizer kills coronavirus in a similar way
• Use sanitizer when soap and water is not handy
• If your hands are sweaty or visibly dirty, sanitizer won’t work very well.
Use soap and water instead.
• Use a sanitizer product with at least 60% alcohol content
• Apply sanitizer to one palm (read the label to learn the correct amount)
• Cover all surfaces of your hands and fingers to soak the virus in alcohol
• Be patient. Rub your hands together until they feel dry

9. To wrap up
➧Vigorous handwashing for 20 seconds with soap and water is the #1 choice
➧Hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol, properly applied, is also effective
➧Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched objects
• Tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles,
desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, sinks, tablets,
phones, touch screens, keyboards, remote controls
and other surfaces

10. References
➧ Palli Thordarson. The science of soap – here’s how it kills the coronavirus, in The Guardian, last updated March
18, 2020. Limited open license for educational use.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/12/science-soap-kills-coronavirus-alcohol-based-
disinfectants [accessed March 31, 2020].
➧ Hand Hygiene. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at
https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/infectioncontrol/faqs/hand-hygiene.html. [accessed March 31, 2020]
➧ Basic Scheme of a Virus image made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain
Dedication. DEXi, August 22, 2017.
➧ Structure of an influenza virus. Modification of work by Dan Higgins, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Available at https://tophat.com/marketplace/science-&-math/biology/textbooks/oer-openstax-
microbiology-openstax-content/1930/69842/ [accessed March 31, 2020].
➧ Resnick, B. How soap absolutely annihilates the coronavirus. Last updated Mar 27, 2020. Available at
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/11/21173187/coronavirus-covid-19-hand-washing-sanitizer-
compared-soap-is-dope [accessed March 31, 2020].
➧ Nail Hygiene. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/hand/nail_hygiene.html [accessed March 31, 2020].