Hand hygiene – including regularly washing your hands with soap and water as well as practising safe social greetings – is still an essential part of the fight against COVID-19, according to an expert from Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
According to Dr Jameela Al Ajmi, Infectious Diseases Senior Consultant and Executive Director of Infection Prevention and Control at HMC, we all still need to take key protective measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Thanks to the overwhelming support of the community in following COVID-19 precautionary measures and their uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine, the number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Qatar has remained stable in recent months, says Dr Al Ajmi.
However, with the delta variant present in Qatar, like most countries around the world, it is still extremely important that people continue to adhere to precautionary measures – this importantly includes practising hand hygiene and safe social greetings.
Dr Al Ajmi said that our hands and physical contact were critical ways in which germs and viruses can be transmitted. She said that the fight against COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of hand hygiene as one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of viruses. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community – from home and workplace to schools and hospitals.
We should also not stop following other basic infection prevention measures such as hand hygiene and safe social greetings. This includes handwashing with soap, using hand sanitisers and reducing the need to touch surfaces where possible. If you are unable to access soap and water, use hand sanitisers.
We should continue avoiding physical contact, including not shaking hands or kissing when greeting another person, to keep us all safe. In addition to getting vaccinated, people should adhere to the following measures to reduce their chances of catching COVID-19:
- Keeping a safe distance from people
- Avoiding physical contact, including greeting people by shaking hands and kissing
- Using your sleeve to cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing or use tissue paper and dispose of it appropriately
- Wearing a face mask in public
For updates and more information on COVID-19, visit covid19.moph.gov.qa.
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