We heard from the scientists on the same day that Trump told us to inject bleach into our veins to combat covid19, so may have gotten lost.
UV, heat and humidity were said to greatly shorten the live of the virus outside of a human host. I don't see the heat part working so well as we have spreed going on in hot parts of the world..?
Hello; OK, the things that kill or degrade the virus all have to do so outside the body. Once the virus is inside a persons body some other system has to take over. So far we only for sure have the human immune system. There appear to be some things which aid the immune system in it's task. Being fit from regular exercise, a good diet, getting enough sleep and the like are among things that help us fight off illness in a general way and the hope is these work with the covid19 as well.
There is some speculation that a vitamin D supplement may be an aid. ( Note- if memory serves D is an oil soluble vitamin so some caution needs to be taken so as to not overdose. For water soluble vitamins such as C your body eliminates any excess so no overdose) I take a multi vitamin which has D among other things and a separate D as well. I am old and this is suggested for us older folks.
There is at least one prescription drug combo being used, hydroxychloroquine (sp) in combination with some others. If it does anything positive the current speculation is it is only really effective when used early in the infection. By the time you wind up on a ventilator it is apparently too late to take it. I do not know personally one way or another how effective it can be, but will consider taking it if I am diagnosed with covid19. Much will depend on the state of my health as there are some folks for whom side effects are risky. I will quiz my doctor about it. It has been around over 65 years and the side effects are well known.
Back to killing the virus outside the body. UV is considered to be effective fairly quickly. Less than two minutes in the sun I think. I try to grab a shopping cart that is outside in the sun when shopping. I have a couple of dust masks I have been reusing. One strategy is to leave the mask I just used on the dash of my vehicle out in the sun for a few hours. This should help disinfect the interior of the car as well. ( note- I do not have any extra tint on my windows. I am not sure if the factory glass blocks UV to any degree for sure. That might lessen my strategy effectiveness some if the glass does block UV much.)
The other thing about the dash of a vehicle is the heat. My understanding is heat around 135 degrees F will kill the virus for sure. (Perhaps someone will know the true effective heat that outright kills the virus) Even if the dash does not get to such a temp, I figure the heat may help degrade the virus to some degree.
Lastly I try to rotate the use of the masks. Use one mask one day and wait a couple of days before using it again.
About the notion Trump told people to inject bleach into themselves. I did happen to be watching that televised covid19 update. He looked over to the doctor experts and asked them a question about doing such a thing. I paraphrase it this way. He said something like we know bleach kills the virus, then looked over to the doctors and asked if something like that is possible to inject into people. My take is he was asking if such a thing is possible from the assembled doctor experts and not that he recommended actually doing so. The doctors then explained as how it can not be done safely. I later saw how this story was spreading with the facts twisted around and was glad I had seen the actual episode.
I have been wiping down packages and some groceries with a Clorox/dish soap solution. When I go shopping I have a place designated in my house to sit the stuff I bring in from the outside. I have a plastic tub into which I put some Dove dish soap and a dollop of bleach. I run some hot water into the tub and use a washcloth with that solution to wipe down things that can be safely wiped down. I keep the washcloth wrung out but still damp. I also do not dry off the wiped surfaces. I let them air dry as it can take some seconds for the bleach to have an effect. I do use the washcloth to wipe down any house surfaces I may touch when coming home from a shopping trip. Bottom line the virus can be killed outside of the body and on surfaces.
Note- the more recent announcements are that contaminated surfaces are now considered to be a smaller infection risk. Not zero as pointed out by another wannabe, but not as risky as previously thought. The trick with surfaces is to avoid touching your vulnerable areas after touching a suspect surface. Try to not touch any body part with a mucus membrane. Eyes, nose or mouth. (maybe anus as well?)
I add the dish soap because it has a good detergent action. Detergents break down oil films. The virus has a layer of lipids that are a type of oil if memory serves. Detergent action can break down that oil layer and damage the virus. My guess is this is why the suggestion to wash our hands is so often made. It is not just the running water washing off the virus but also the detergent action of soap. In fact I concentrate on getting a good lather of soap all over my hands and then do a final rinse.
