Cycling and the Coronavirus

[Edwardoka]

When it was all kicking off last month, I had ordered a package from ebay. It was a a plastic widget that came from Wuhan, but it tooks so long to get here I figured the virus would be dead anyway, even if it were contaminated at the other end.

You should lick the package, you might build immunity from the dead viral cells

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Immune system post exercise is totally irrelevant, this is a new disease and no one will have immunity, except those that have recently recovered.

Not true. If the immune system is suppressed when you contract Covid19 then it will have a much greater effect than if the immune system is running at full strength. See research papers I linked to above.

Consider an invader breaking in when all the windows or doors are locked or doing the same when everything is left open.

 

[PaulSB]

What if you're cycling to a cafe for a slab of cake, or with a group who might have been exposed in italy? As already mentioned, social distancing is the best thing you can do. Not many who can really do this as intended though, as most of us require some human contact at some point or another. It's just a matter of time until it goes endemic.

I understand the point you make and I don't underestimate the potential seriousness as outlined in your following post. Equally I could be a walker and face the same issues. Cycling is not relevant here.

In a modern society unless the country effectively shuts down social distancing is impossible. We simply have to eat.

I'm recently returned from Vietnam and Cambodia. On return I added a sanitizer hand gel to the gear I take with me. I will use this in a cafe. If the virus takes hold I will use the methods my wife and I used while in Asia. At any location where others might transmit a disease we wiped down all surfaces and hand santized afterwards. For example in a restaurant this would mean wiping our table area, cutlery, side plates etc. with sanitizing wipes. On an overnight train we wiped down every surface in the cabin. At no point did we use the useless masks we were offered everywhere.

I'm amused by how many people are offering advice that good hand hygiene is important. Isn't this what we should all practice every day?

A tale about this and an example of people's general lack of understanding of good hygiene.

One morning as I washed my hands in the hotel public toilets a Chinese man left a cubicle and walked straight out without washing his hands. I left and followed him to the restaurant. The first thing he did was walk to the coffee jug and pick it up. I wonder how much fecal debris he left on the handle for 100 other guests to enjoy??? He was of course wearing a mask to protect himself against Coronavirus!! Idiot would be a kind description.

 

[YellowV2]

Are hand sanitisers, surface sprays/wipes effective? Are they not anti bacterial?
In which case I'm not sure, not saying don't use them as they will protect against other bacterial infections but as for preventing this virus, just a thought?

 

[vickster]

I’d assume alcohol also kills viruses

 

[nickyboy]

I’d assume alcohol also kills viruses

It kills this particular virus but not all. It has a lipid "shell" that is effectively dissolved by alcohol and renders the virus ineffective

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I’d assume alcohol also kills viruses

Public Health England say drink more 🍺

 

[vickster]

It kills this particular virus but not all. It has a lipid "shell" that is effectively dissolved by alcohol and renders the virus ineffective

All good then as the question was about this one

 

[confusedcyclist]

Public Health England say drink more 🍺

For that to work, technically you'd have to quafe so much that you'd be dead.

 

[PaulSB]

Are hand sanitisers, surface sprays/wipes effective? Are they not anti bacterial?
In which case I'm not sure, not saying don't use them as they will protect against other bacterial infections but as for preventing this virus, just a thought?

I'm unsure if the sanitizers actually kill this or other viruses. I feel the point is it means people are cleaning their hands.

 

[vickster]

I'm unsure if the sanitizers actually kill this or other viruses. I feel the point is it means people are cleaning their hands.

Only if they are and not just using sanitiser

 

[Racing roadkill]

Are hand sanitisers, surface sprays/wipes effective? Are they not anti bacterial?
In which case I'm not sure, not saying don't use them as they will protect against other bacterial infections but as for preventing this virus, just a thought?

No they’re not particularly extra effective. Soap and water is fine. Some sort of spray with silver particles would be effective as well.

 

[PaulSB]

Only if they are and not just using sanitiser

Yes. I just asked my wife, a retired medical professional, and she made two points:

1. There is no substitute for correctly washing hands
2. The sanitizers contain alcohol which kills "germs."

 

[slowmotion]

I’d assume alcohol also kills viruses

It probably stops you worrying about it too much.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

This seems to just be going over the same old stuff as the main Corona virus. Time to merge threads?