How Do Viruses Spread From Person To Person?

Viruses, such as COVID-19, are incredibly contagious and typically spread in small liquid particles when an infected person coughs, sneezes, speaks, sings or breathes. Anyone who is within 6 feet of that person can breathe it into their lungs and therefore catch the virus.

A person can also catch the virus by touching contaminated surfaces if they do not wash their hands. You may touch a countertop or handle that’s contaminated and then touch your nose, mouth, or eyes.

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, it’s crucial that we take the necessary precautions to protect ourselves, family members and our staff/colleagues from catching the harmful virus.

To avoid spreading a virus like COVID-19, you should:

1. Stay at home

If you have a virus and feel unwell, the last thing you should do is leave your house/ go to work. Even if you’ve received a negative COVID-19 test result, you should stay at home to reduce the spread of other infections.

If you test positive for COVID-19, your self-isolation period includes the day your symptoms started (or the day you had the test, if you do not have symptoms) and the next 10 full days.

2. Keep your distance

Germs can spread easily when in close proximity to others, especially in the Winter months when people are most likely to be indoors. At 2m distance, the risk of COVID-19 transmission is small and where possible, you should maintain this distance from others when in public. 

3. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water

Keeping your hands clean is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid spreading a virus like COVID-19. 

Giving your hands a good wash with soap and warm running water will wash away any germs you may have on your hands and prevent them getting into your body, into foods and onto objects. Learn how to properly wash your hands here.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines Trusted Source are to scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. If you have trouble keeping track of time, try humming the entire “Happy Birthday” song twice before rinsing. 

In one workplace study, employees who were trained in handwashing and hand sanitation practices used 20 percent fewer Trusted Source sick days due to improved hygiene.

You can also apply antibacterial hand sanitiser which protects against 99.99% of bacteria and viruses tested. 

4. Wear appropriate personal protective equipment

Before coronavirus, you would only really hear the term ‘PPE’ when working in industries such as hospitality or healthcare. Now, you will hear ‘PPE’ thrown around on a daily basis.

The main PPE you should be wearing to reduce the spread of a virus includes items such as masks & gloves and aprons (if necessary in your workplace e.g. food preparation or healthcare) – wearable items designed to keep people safe.

Face Masks 

Here are a few different options that we stock here at Morsafe:

• Disposable type 2R masks – the most commonly used, both due to the 3-play layers for great protection as well as the soft elastic ear loop.
• Disposable Face Shields – these face shields are great for protecting the face and eyes from splashing or spraying. Great for that added layer of protection over your face mask. 
• Ear saver masks – using a face mask for over 8 hours a day takes its toll on your ears, leaving dry skin and sore areas. These straps round the back of the head to prevent irritation. 
• FFP3 masks – these are the Rolls Royce of face masks. They are not the cheapest but offer the best protection by far. And they are reusable.

To learn more about how the COVID-19 virus is spread from person to person, check out this super helpful YouTube video by the World Health Organisation (WHO):

At Morsafe, we stock an extensive range of PPE equipment for your workplace. To find out more, visit our website or contact us at 01686 611 377

Written by Kate Jones, for Morsafe Supplies.