Can disposable gloves protect against coronavirus: doctors explain

During the coronavirus pandemic, not only masks, but also disposable gloves are sold out in pharmacies. However, experts say that the latter is much more harm than good, writes DW.

Photo: Shutterstock

In the supermarket, on the market, in public transport, you can increasingly see people in disposable gloves. But in most pharmacies and stores their stocks have long run out. Many hope that gloves will help them protect themselves from coronavirus, because, according to a number of scientists, they can become infected, including by touching a surface that has been exposed to droplets of discharge from a sneezing or coughing patient. Is this really the case and is it really worth wearing COVID-19 prevention gloves?

Short-time protection

Although doctors and all medical personnel always use disposable gloves in their work, they only protect their hands from gross contamination - for example, blood and other biological fluids. Gloves provide protection against bacteria and viruses only for a very short time.

The thing is that gloves are made of porous material. Therefore, the longer you wear them, the easier pathogens can penetrate. This is one of the reasons why doctors, after using disposable gloves, thoroughly wash and disinfect their hands.

On the subject: Vitamin C and the flu shot: experts debunk myths about ways to protect against coronavirus

A deceptive sense of sterility

Disposable gloves made of vinyl, latex or nitrile create a sense of sterility, but this impression is extremely misleading. While many people, wearing gloves, are more careful in order not to touch their faces, they still quite often do this by accident.

In fact, doctors warn that wearing gloves may even increase the risk of infection. In disposable gloves, the skin begins to sweat very quickly. And a warm and humid climate is an ideal environment for bacteria and viruses of all kinds.

German physician Mark Marc Hanefeld on Twitter and Facebook encourages people to stop wearing medical gloves at home.

“In the warm, humid environment under the glove, bacteria readily multiply. At the latest, after removing the gloves, a real cesspool will form on your hands, for which I congratulate you,” Hanefeld wrote.

Is it easier to get the virus when wearing gloves?

A similar opinion is shared by pulmonologist Jens Mathews. In an interview with the German media company SWR, he said that gloves not only do not protect against coronavirus infection, but can even contribute to this.

“In a very short time, a disposable glove collects much more bacteria on its surface than a recently washed hand,” explains the doctor.

On the subject: All you wanted to know about coronavirus but were embarrassed to ask: WHO answers

The head of the Austrian Society for Infection Control (ÖGKH), Oyan Assadian, has for many years been warning people against the inappropriate use of medical gloves.

“I would not recommend that people without medical knowledge wear disposable gloves at home. Certain knowledge and training are required so that when disposable gloves are removed, the microorganisms adhering to them remain there, and do not later end up on the hands, wrists or sleeves of outer clothing,” explains the infectious disease specialist in an interview with the online magazine pflegen-online.de.

Therefore, if you want to protect yourself and your loved ones from coronavirus, you need to adhere to traditional preventive measures - wash your hands thoroughly with soap and, if possible, refrain from visiting public places. And you definitely shouldn’t wear disposable gloves when going to the store.

Read also on ForumDaily:

'It seemed like I had a piece of meat, not a throat': five stories of people who recovered from COVID-19

Unexpected victim of coronavirus: why farmers throw food during an epidemic

Coronavirus in the USA: for the first time in history an emergency regime introduced throughout the country

How to cook safely during a pandemic: UNICEF recommendations

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.