There are many public health measures you need to follow to keep you safe from COVID, so there is a sense of relief when you can take a precautionary measure on the list. For now, you should continue to wear your mask, take social distances and avoid crowds, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just said that you can drop one COVID precaution because it does not actually help you. Read on to find out what coronavirus mitigation measure you can take and to make sure you stay safe. If you see it on your mask, the FDA says so right away.
At the beginning of the pandemic, many people wore gloves when handling their packages and avoided taking out food for fear of getting COVID. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has overturned the theory that months ago you could easily catch coronavirus from surfaces. According to CDC guidelines, “There is currently no evidence that food is associated with the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19” and “the risk of being infected by the virus through food products, food packaging or bags is considered very low.”
However, people continued to disinfect their deliveries and to worry about food. The FDA and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have just teamed up to address this concern. On February 18, the agencies issued a statement reminding people that they do not have to be too careful with food and packaging, for fear of contracting COVID. “Consumers should be reassured that, based on our understanding of the currently available reliable scientific information, and supported by the overwhelming international scientific consensus, we continue to believe that the food they eat and the food packaging they touch is highly unlikely to be SARS- CoV-2 will spread, “the statement read. And experts warn that you should do this if you need to take precautions: Do not do this for up to a month after your COVID vaccine.
The statement cites the large number of COVID cases – more than 100 million – which have no evidence that food or food packaging is the source of transmission. ‘Since the number of virus particles that could theoretically be picked up by touching a surface would be very small and the amount required for infection by oral inhalation would be very large, the chance of infection by touching the surface of food packaging is very small. touch or eat food is considered extremely low, ”reads the statement. And for more information on coronavirus transmission, this is where your COVID is most likely to be caught, says new study
The statement further points out that ‘it is particularly important to note that COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that is spread from person to person, unlike food or gastrointestinal viruses, such as norovirus and hepatitis.’ Although these other viruses can infect humans through contaminated food, experts believe the chances of COVID doing so are slim. And sign up for our daily newsletter for more information.
While it may not hurt to regularly disinfect the surfaces in your home, you do not have to do so because of COVID, experts say. According to the CDC’s guidelines, “it is possible for someone to get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object containing the virus and then touching their own mouth, nose or eyes.” However, they say that ‘touch levels are not a common way for COVID-19 to spread.’
During a December 28 interview with NPR, Emanuel Goldman, PhD, a microbiologist at Rutgers University, said the disinfection of surfaces does not do much to protect you from coronavirus because the infectious substance that helps COVID spread decays very quickly. Goldman added: “In hospitals, surfaces near COVID-19 patients have been tested, and no contagious virus can be identified.” And for more precautions you can take, The CDC says you no longer need to do that if you have been vaccinated.