"Quiet Spread from Touching Face with Hands... Handwashing as an Innovative Quarantine Measure" (Update)

"Over 65s Touch Their Face 22 Times in One Hour... Children 46 Times"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Health authorities pointed out that the unconscious act of touching one's face with hands can be a cause of silent transmission of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Lee Sang-won, Crisis Response Analyst at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated at a regular briefing on the 8th, "According to a policy research project conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency between 2018 and 2019 studying contact behaviors of high-risk groups such as children and the elderly, it was found that seniors aged 65 and over touch their faces with their hands 22 times per hour."

In the case of children, the frequency was higher, with 45.4 hand-to-face contacts per hour.

The analyst said, "If virus-contaminated hands come into contact with mucous membrane areas of the face, it can lead to infection," adding, "This can also be a cause of silent transmission with unknown origins."

He explained, "When an infected person not wearing a mask sneezes, they may habitually cover their mouth with their hands. The hands become contaminated with secretions, and if these contaminated hands touch objects frequently contacted by others, such as door handles, the risk of multiple transmissions increases."

He continued, "If another person's hands then touch the contaminated object and subsequently contact areas like the nose or mouth before the virus dies, it can transfer the virus to the respiratory tract without direct contact."

Accordingly, he emphasized the importance of preventing respiratory infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and influenza through regular handwashing.

The analyst added, "It is very important to wash hands as frequently as possible in daily life," and said, "Until vaccines are introduced, we cannot expect innovative quarantine measures; at this time, adhering to the most basic preventive measures is the most innovative quarantine method."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.