MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – When the pandemic began, stores quickly ran out of disinfectant wipes and household cleaners.
But now experts say the risk of capturing COVID-19 from surfaces is low.
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Suppose your keys are contaminated with COVID. It is possible to get the virus by touching it on the face, but officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it is rare.
WCCO spoke with Dr. Frank Rhame, an infectious disease specialist at Abbott Northwestern, who is part of Allina Health.
“It’s becoming increasingly clear that airborne drops account for the majority of transmissions,” Rhame said.
In perspective, the CDC says studies estimate that every time you touch a contaminated surface, your chances of becoming infected are less than one in 10,000. That’s why he now says it would be enough to clean high-touch surfaces once a day with soap or regular cleaner.
(credit: CBS)
“Now, if you look at this guide, it doesn’t say surfaces don’t make any difference,” Rhame said. “He says they’re not that important and that for most surfaces, standard water and soap once a day are good enough.”
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Remember when some of us cleaned groceries? Maybe you still are, but is it necessary?
“I normally wouldn’t,” Rhame said.
Whether it’s groceries or something else at home, the CDC says disinfection is unlikely to be necessary unless there is a suspicion or known exposure or case. In fact, warn of using disinfectants made for hard surfaces, such as bleach, in plastic or cardboard containers.
“This material has not been touched in a while by someone who is likely to have COVID,” Rhame said.
But precautions against COVID help curb other things, like the flu. Doctors don’t know if it’s distancing, hand washing, masking, or disinfection that helps the most, but our efforts protect against something more than COVID-19.
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The CDC states that the most reliable way to prevent surface infection is to wash your hands regularly or use a hand sanitizer. And you may want to clean more or disinfect if someone in your household is at high risk.