Our number 1 priority is to keep you healthy during this pandemic and flu season. This includes handwashing and wearing your protective equipment. Remember this isn’t all about you but your loved ones -think about your grandparents and parents.
According to the latest research from the Centers for Disease Control, hand washing reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by up to 50% and reduces respiratory illnesses by up to 16%. You can’t avoid coming in contact with sick people, but coupled with wearing a mask, social distancing, good hand washing is the best line of defense against picking up germs.
Let’s discuss appropriate hand washing techniques and tips to keep you healthy.
- Soap and water are the gold standard.
- The water temperature doesn’t really matter-use what ever temperature is comfortable for you.
- Make sure you remember to wash your thumbs, concentrate on your non-dominant hand as well. We tend to wash our dominate hand more than the non-dominate
- Twenty seconds is longer than you think-this is about the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” or your “A,B,C’s”. Don’t rush the process.
- Make sure you dry your hands properly and use the paper towel to shut off the faucets and open the door.
- Hand sanitizer is a good substitute if you can’t wash your hands.
– Please wear your mask at all times when you are out. Make sure it covers your mouth and nose. Don’t pull your mask down to cough, sneeze, or talk-this defeats the purpose of the mask. Once you put your mask on, keep your hands away from your face-your mask should fit well and there will be no need to readjust. If you find yourself constantly adjusting your mask look for a different type that fits you better.
-Make sure you get your vaccines, this includes yearly flu vaccines, pneumonia vaccines if appropriate. Watch area coverage related to the COVID vaccine as this rolls out to all of us.
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