Why Hand-washing Still Matters

While Covid-19 raged, I was glad by spring that we did not have many cases of flu. Two reasons may have been our mask-wearing and consistent washing of hands.

Hand washing still matters. On average, our hands come into contact with many hundreds of surfaces a day. Through our hands we are exposed to hundreds of thousands of microorganisms. Fortunately, most of those are innocuous. Nevertheless, we tend to touch our faces about 16 or more times an hour. Without proper hand hygiene, we risk the chance of introducing a not-so-harmless infectious organism, including the Delta variant of the coronavirus, into our mouths, noses or eyes.

Washing one's hands after using the toilet is a universal recommendation, for good reasons. It's been shown to reduce the incidence of diarrhea by as much as 40%. The coronavirus can be transferred through stool, and a single gram of human feces can contain a trillion germs.

Last year the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention emphasized repeatedly that hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is the first line of defense against the spread of Covid-19. With the Delta variant now running wild in the U.S., that advice still holds. But you don't need to watch your clock or watch while doing it or count the seconds. Experts suggest singing the Happy Birthday song twice. For variety, try singing the chorus of "It's a Small World (After All)."

Norm Thomas