There’s nothing about a pandemic that conjures the warm and fuzzies. But with adversity comes opportunity and there’s been no shortage of adversity during the coronavirus pandemic. Being a borderline germaphobe, the first constructive thought I had when this pandemic hit was how my way of life, complete with Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, and careful use of door handles in public places had suddenly become normal. Better hygiene is always a good idea but previous studies have shown large percentages of people hadn’t typically even washed hands after using the restroom, let alone the rest of the time. As gross as it may be, that lack of basic hygiene is responsible for a lot of the sickness that spreads around throughout the year.
A first of its kind study has taken place reviewing the change in hygiene habits and its impact on our health going forward. It’s really good news. The study conducted by the Global Hygiene Council found that the improved washing of hands and regular cleaning of surfaces we come in contact with will reduce common infections by 50% and the need to use antibiotics to treat our illnesses by 30%. Aside from the benefit of having half as much sickness being spread around, our cost for the medical care will also significantly improve, you know from not needing it. One other important takeaway. The reason why it seems like if one person in the house gets sick, the whole house becomes sick? Up to 80% of illnesses are spread at home. In other words, ongoing good hygiene at home is at least as important as when you’re out in the world.
This likely explains why reports of up to two-thirds of recently reported coronavirus cases in places like New York include those who’ve not left the house. If only one person does and they aren’t completely careful once they’re in the house, you see how this happens. I’m sure that long after we’re done talking about the coronavirus daily, we’d all like 50% less sickness and hundreds of extra dollars a year in money we didn’t pay for medical expenses. For those who didn’t adhere to cleanliness being next to godliness before, maybe the pandemic will have done it.
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