Dr. Cynthia Salter-Lewis
Many of you know and have often used the scripture found in 2 Timothy 1:7:
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
God has given us a sound mind which allows us to think clearly as we navigate through this most difficult time. One key component of navigation is relying on the truth. The truth means everything to God and it should to us as well.
Everyday, we are learning more about the COVID-19 Coronavirus. With new facts there is also lots of misinformation which unfortunately, gets repeated. This, in turn, causes people to make ill-informed decisions concerning the virus. This kind of behavior embraces a spirit of fear and misses the revelation about having a sound mind.
I’ve been approached with many concerns and questions and I want to answer them publicly in hopes that you will share with your family, friends and co-workers. I believe knowing the facts will help you remain safe and healthy, and it will allow you to embrace a sound mind.
Is it true that African-Americans and other people of color are disproportionately affected by COVID-19?
Yes. Unfortunately, early on the the African-American community was misinformed and circulated the myth that we were impervious to COVID-19. This could not be further from the truth. In some areas, African-Americans have accounted for 40-70% of COVID-19 deaths. The death rate is certainly higher in our community. Reasons for this include us living in high-density areas, misinformation early on, the disparity in health care, and, most of all, higher instances of comorbid diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart and lung disease.
I heard the Corona-virus can attach to your hair. Is this true?
Absolutely. Hair serves as a fomite to which the virus can attach. A fomite is anything that the virus can attach to that can be used as a vehicle to spread itself. For example, if COVID-19 gets in your hair, when you touch your face you can transmit the virus to yourself. So when you are running errands or at the grocery store, you should wear a hat or other head covering so that if someone coughs or sneezes, the viral respiratory droplets won’t get in your hair. If this happens, please wash your hair immediately.
Can the virus be transmitted from door handles and cell phones?
The bottom line is that high-touch objects like cell phones, door handles, elevator buttons, light switches, faucets, etc., can all serve as fomites for the virus. Even an ink pen serves as a powerful fomite to transmit the virus. That’s why you must continuously wipe and disinfect all high-touch objects as often as possible. NEVER use anyone else’s pen during this time.
How long is the virus stable on surfaces?
It depends on the surface in question. There was a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on March 17, 2020 that evaluated this concern. It found that the virus can remain stable for days depending on the surface or the object. For example, COVID-19 lives 3 hours on paper, 4 hours on cooper, 24 hours on cardboard, 48 hours on stainless steel or wood, and 72 hours on plastic. Other studies have shown that the virus also lives on porous things like money and clothes. However, thus far, the duration varies from study to study.
WE MUST remind ourselves to regularly wipe down counter tops with soap, disinfectant, or bleach. Spray your cardboard boxes with Lysol when they get delivered and wash clothes often - especially any outfit that you wear out of the house. Lastly, if someone hands you a piece of paper, sanitize or wash your hands immediately. AVOID touching your face at all costs because that’s how the virus enters.
All of the hand sanitizers are gone from the stores, what should I do?
The good thing is that COVID-19 can be easily destroyed by the action of germ sanitizer, pure alcohol, detergent, or even soap. If the stores are out of alcohol-based sanitizers, wipe your surfaces and wash your hands with any of the other cleaners I listed above. Plain water will not destroy the virus. However, the mechanical motion of washing your hands adds to the destruction of the virus when used with soap. That’s why you must perform the mechanical motion of hand washing for at least 20 seconds. Most people wash only the palm of their hands. Don’t forget to also wash the back of your hands, between your fingers , and your wrist. You should be able to cover all of these areas in 20 seconds.
How should I protect myself when leaving the house?
Always wear a face-covering when leaving the house. Even if you don’t have a mask, a scarf or face covering should be secured over the top and to the bridge of the nose. It has been found that you can literally catch or spread COVID-19 approximately 2 feet with just talking/breathing. So we now know that COVID-19 can be transmitted without even coughing or sneezing. Currently, our care pastors, Dan and Graham, are leading an effort to send a couple of masks to each household. I will ensure they are properly sanitized and packaged and will give instructions in a later post on how to clean and reuse your mask.
You should also wear gloves. However, be careful because gloves can give you a false sense of security, especially if you touch your face a lot. Therefore, as you are handling items, you need to continually use a sanitizer even on your gloves throughout your shopping.
How do I remove my gloves without getting contaminated?
Most individuals who are not medically trained to remove gloves do so in a contaminated way. However, there is no need to worry because whenever you remove your gloves, ALWAYS immediately wash or sanitize your hands thoroughly. This will destroy any viral particles that may be on your hand from improper glove removal.
I hope these tips help ease your fears!
God Bless You,
Dr. Cynthia Salter-Lewis