nCoV-19 Infection What should be care about

Dr. Muhammad Torequl Islam :
The novel coronavirus 2019 (nCoV-19) is evident to spread in tiny droplets released from the nose and mouth of an infected person during sneezing and coughing. A single cough can produce up to 3,000 droplets. These particles can remain in the air, land on other people, clothing and surfaces around them. The nCoV-19 can survive and remain infectious for up to 3 days on hard surfaces like plastic and stainless steel at temperatures of between 21 to 25 ?C at 40-50% relative humidity. The SARS coronavirus that outbreak in 2003 has also been found to survive best in cooler, drier conditions. However, virus viability loses rapidly at higher temperatures (e.g., 38 °C) and higher relative humidity (e.g., >95%). This virus dies after heating at 56 °C for 15 minutes, however, it may stable for at least 2 days following drying on plastic. It can be inactivated completely by using common fixatives used in laboratory, ultraviolet light, alkaline (pH >12) or acidic (pH <3) conditions. The virus is stable for 3 weeks at room temperature (20 to 25 °C or 68 to 77 °F) in a liquid environment. It spreads rapidly in cities and regions of the world where average temperatures have been around 5-11 °C (41-52 °F ) and relative humidity has been low. It can can also survive on metal, glass and plastic for as long as 9 days, unless properly disinfected.
Air pollution causes weakening our immune system, reduces the ability to fight against infectious agents. Suspended particles may carry the virus particles that remain in the air. A correlation between the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality rates and high levels of air pollution has been seen in Italy and USA. In a study in 2003 found that patients with SARS were 84% more likely to die if they lived in areas with high levels of air pollution. A small increase in fine particulate matter (e.g., PM2.5) have been found to increase the nCoV-19 transmission. For example, an increase of just 1 microgram per cubic meter corresponded to a 15% increase in COVID-19 deaths.
The nCoV-19 can be inactivated within a minute by disinfecting surfaces with 62-71% alcohol, or 0.5% hydrogen peroxide bleach or household bleach containing 0.1% sodium hypochlorite. Higher temperatures and humidity also helpful to kill this virus, for an example, temperatures above 56 °C (132 °F) kills about 10,000 viral particles within 15 minutes.
Handling of banknote: Banknotes are the most frequently handling items among the regular used objects. A single note may be handled by hundreds of people in a day. Therefore, nCoV-19 may spread from the infected person to non-infected person easily through banknote. Using hand gloves during handling or a suitable detergent or disinfectant after handling of banknotes might be helpful to prevent nCoV-19 transmission among people.  
Cell phone cleaning: Unplug the phone and turn off its switch. Avoid using hand gels, abrasive wipes and chemicals as these can damage the screen’s protective coating. Dampen a clean microfiber cloth with water and simple household soap or hand wash. Gently rub the surfaces of the phone with it. Take care not to get moisture in any opening as your phone can lose its protection over time. Finally, dry your phone with a clean microfiber cloth.
Managing of green vegetables: Sodium chloride (NaCl) also called ‘table salt’ as coating material on the fiber surface of the filtration unit of surgical mask effectively deactivated a number influenza virus species, suggesting a new strategy in the protective measures to avoid primary/secondary infection and transmission of many viruses, including nCoV-19. On the other hand, the natural adsorbents, including clay, charcoal, and clay minerals showed 99.99% adsorption of coronavirus. Although, the evidence of transmission of coronavirus through green vegetables is yet to be found out. Many consumers have been found to wash their vegetables with detergents, which is harmful for both of the vegetables and for their health. We can dissolve NaCl or suspend natural adsorbents in clean water and keep the green vegetables in the solution or suspension for 20-30 minutes before cooking or preserving in a refrigerator. However, a gentle drying of the surface water from the vegetables might be helpful for the preservation of these items for a long time. Remember, this virus can survive for more than 28 days at 4 ?C. Therefore, frequent cleaning of the refrigerator might be necessary.
(Dr. Muhammad Torequl Islam is Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy, Life Science Faculty, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University. E-mail: [email protected])