Use washing-up liquid against coronavirus

A Macclesfield-hospital doctor claims washing-up liquid can be used to prevent coronavirus from spreading amid shortages of hand sanitiser.

Dr Adrian Heald, urged everyone to stay calm saying bars of soap will work against the disease if liquid variants are unavailable.

The consultant physician, who works at Macclesfield and Leighton hospitals, has described how ‘coronavirus has a fatty outer layer’ and can be countered by ‘anything that dissolves fat’.

The doctor tweeted: “People, please do NOT panic if liquid soaps are sold out, a bar will also do the job (rinse after use and put dry) or use dish washing liquid, the coronavirus has a fatty outer layer, anything that dissolves fat will work!”

Speaking about his washing-up liquid advice, he added: “I thought a few people might not know it. I learned about it from a very senior colleague and thought best pass it on.

“Thinking about the people who are relying on food banks and can’t afford such luxuries, for them dish washing liquid might be the only option.”

Dr Heald also said it was best to use warm running water when washing your hands as it helps lather the soap.

The medic tweeted: “This whole crisis has really hit it home how poor the hygiene standards of a lot of people are, if it comes to infectious diseases, we got to work on that so start working, it starts with through hand washing – 1st line of defense.

“This is so not the time for being a drama queen, however if you have not maintained proper hygiene standards, never been a better time to start, you are protecting yourself and others!”

He also encouraged people to avoid wearing rings for the time being, keep their nails short and wash towels and dish cloths as often as possible.

The consultant added: “If you can’t wash them very often, please do NOT bunch them up, spread them out so they dry as fast as possible, you want to avoid a moist environment where germs feel at home.”