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Frequently Asked Questions
Most frequently asked questions from our customers
For information on the coronavirus please visit the World Health Organization website: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
For information on the coronavirus please visit the World Health Organization website: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
Public health officials and partners are working hard to identify the source of COVID-19. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some causing illness in people and others that circulate among animals, including camels, cats and bats. Analysis of the genetic tree of this virus is ongoing in order to know the specific source of the virus. More information about the source and spread of COVID-19 is available on the 2019-nCoV Situation Summary: Source and Spread of the Virus.
This virus probably originally emerged from an animal source but now seems to be spreading from person-to-person. It is important to note that person-to-person spread can happen on a continuum. At this time, it’s unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people.
Current symptoms reported for patients with COVID-19 have included mild to severe respiratory illness with feveri, cough, and difficulty breathing. Read about COVID-19 symptoms here.
Currently, no vaccine exists that can prevent a coronavirus infection (such as COVID-19) in someone who has been exposed to it. The most effective way of staying safe from the infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus entirely. Based on the behaviour of respiratory viruses in general, the WHO has outlined everyday activities to steer clear of an infection:
One of the best ways to prevent infection of the so-called 2019 coronavirus is to avoid being exposed to the virus and to stop it from entering your body. Some of the easiest ways to become infected by a virus is to transfer it from your hands to your mouth, nose or eyes. Washing your hands using soap or water has a dual effect, it primarily washes the virus away from your body. It also disrupts the virus so it cannot bind and infect your cells.
Human coronaviruses including the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) belong to the family of enveloped viruses. The “envelop” is like a jacket made up of lipids and proteins and protects the virus from the environment and helps it to enter human cells such as lung cells. Soaps, detergents and alcohol-based hand sanitizers strip these types of viruses of this jacket by dissolving the lipids and proteins and inactivates the virus. Frequent hand washing is also a good way to prevent other germs and infections from entering your body, from the flu to the common cold.
Human coronaviruses including the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) belong to the family of enveloped viruses. The “envelop” is like a jacket made up of lipids and proteins and protects the virus from the environment and helps it to enter human cells such as lung cells. Soaps, detergents and alcohol-based hand sanitizers disrupt the envelop resulting in the inactivation of these types of viruses.
19 are enveloped viruses. Lifebuoy soap and alcohol-based hand sanitizer will be effective against enveloped viruses by inactivating the envelop of the virus and making it non-infectious.
Washing your hands with water is a good way of removing dirt and is better than not washing them at all. However, the surfactants in soap can remove or inactivate germs in addition to better removal of dirt than washing your hands with water alone. What is most important is that you wash your hands after using the bathroom and before you eat. The time you take and the technique you use to wash your hands is also important.
In the event of an infection outbreak like the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, it is advised to follow hand hygiene practices frequently as advised by local government authorities.
In the event of an infection outbreak like the spread of the novel corona virus, COVID-19, it is advised to follow hand hygiene practices frequently as advised by local government authorities.
Germs are essentially the umbrella word for nasty things that could make us ill. Germs include bacteria and viruses that can cause infections. Germs can be found in the air, our bodies, on food, plants, animals, surfaces and just about anything we could come into contact with.
Avoiding the virus is the most important thing you can do. Having a clean home and avoiding people who seem ill, including your friends and family, is important in reducing your chances of catching the virus. If you are ill yourself, you should always use a tissue or face mask to cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing and you should stay at home as well. Lastly, it is important to say away from raw meat and live wild animals if you can.
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i. Mayo Clinic. 2017. Germs: Understand and protect against bacteria, viruses and infection. Last accessed: 04 February 2020. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/infectious-diseases/in-depth/germs/art-20045289
ii. Chaolin Huang. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. 2020. The Lancet, 395. Last accessed 21 February 2020. https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2820%2930183-5