With the coronavirus pandemic gripping the world, you may have taken to disinfecting your personal items in order to prevent the spread of the illness.
While we all know by now that washing our hands thoroughly and cleaning bacteria ridden belongings like our mobile phones are essential things, it turns out there may be something we’re forgetting.
A GP has warned that we should also be disinfection our bank cards to help stop the spread of Covid-19.
The medical expert has explained that the viral germs are able to survive on the surface of our bank cards and be transferred to card readers and our hands whenever we make a payment.
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Dr Chike Emeagi, Medical Director of Hampstead Aesthetics Clinic explained, “I can certainly envisage a scenario where your card could be contaminated with microbes from those whom have used the exact same card reader previously.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he warned of all the every day objects potentially harbouring the dangerous virus, “Germs can hide in nooks and crannies in objects including watches, rings, credit cards, coins and bank notes - things we ordinarily would not worry about.
“It important to note that the possibility of catching coronavirus through your card is low but theoretical.”
Going on to reveal how we can keep our personal belongings as germ free as possible, Dr Emeagi suggested using warm, soapy water to clean jewellery and giving your card a clean with a disinfectant wipe.
This comes after a health expert warned that biting your fingernails could be a sure fire way to spread coronavirus.
Purvi Parikh, a disease specialist from New York University’s Langone Medical Centre said, “If you’re not washing your hands properly, or just relying on hand sanitiser, all that stuff tends to just stay in there. And then every time you touch your face — especially your mouth, nose, and eyes — you’re transferring all of those germs.
“There are so many infections going around this time of year, from bacterial to viral to the flu. But then on top of that, given that we now have this coronavirus, there’s even more reason not to bite your nails.”
