Early this year, the world woke up to the news of a virus that has continued to ravage every country, town, and world cities.

Today, every health institution in the world, including the WHO, has been thrown into intensive research to arrive at a cure for the coronavirus. Countries like France have come to promise a cure which they have pledged will be ready in eight months from March 2020.

We have also seen the positive development in the production of the COVID-19 vaccines, as well as the embattled cure from Madagascar.

Though there are high hopes that the cure will arrive soon, but for now, the little we can do is to stick to the preventions as advised by the World Health Organization (WHO). Of all the precautions they had advised, the commonest ones are maintaining social distancing and hands-washing.

But in as much as maintaining social distancing is a great way to start, washing of hands has been said to be quite beneficial because it can also prevent other illnesses that can be transferred through the exact means.

Well, this piece is meant to deliberate more on how soaps help us in its little way to prevent the COVID-19 virus. But also note that the fact we are emphasizing on hand washing does not mean that social distancing is not important.

How Does Soap play a vital role in the Prevention of Coronavirus?

It is also important to note that viruses are often small adhesive nanoparticles domicile in the palm’s crevices. Therefore making use of just water washes off only the dirt, so sometimes, chemicals are needed to get rid of both viruses and bacteria. This is why soaps are very much recommended while washing your hands at these moments in time.
But unfortunately, not all Soaps can do the trick; it is advised that people need to wash their hands with either antiseptic or medicated Soap each time they are out from a public environment.
This is the sure way to be certain that coronavirus infested hands are safe and the spread of the pandemic is reduced to the minimal.
In addition, to obtain a successful result, you must spare at least 20 seconds of your time performing this task; scrubbing your hands thoroughly with soaps because viruses such as the COVID can cover themselves with what looks like an oily lipid membrane. Therefore taking time to wash gives room to the chemicals from these soaps to penetrate the lipid membrane, just like a nail piercing a tube tire, it punctures these oily protective shield leaving the virus vulnerable in its shrinking RNA sack. You have to remember that even while this oily membrane can be broken with alcohol, washing your hands with Soap has proved to be tougher on shrinking bacteria and viruses on human skin, a characteristic attributed to the double nature of soap molecules.
The virus has a characteristic of a hydrophilic, stretching its head out to bond with the incoming water approaching its surface. Its tail is retracted inwards, protecting itself from the incoming water. So, scrubbing every part of your hands while washing is a sure way of getting rid of these viruses for good. Again, it doesn’t matter if the water is hot or cold; all you need is to be thorough in scrubbing and making sure your hands are soapy.
You also have to know that the skin is naturally wrinkly; hence, it takes time for soaps to sink in every tiny little fold, down to where these viruses are stuck. So for the Soap to effectively do its job, it needs a few moments to soak in its chemical elements. It’s like showing up in a new neighborhood full of strange faces; you are bound to take your time and relate with the environment before you can be able to make an impact.
So that’s how it works, the Soap takes time to circulate its chemicals round the skin for at most 20 seconds before effectively doing its job.

Finally, we must accept that the coronavirus pandemic is here; it is up to us as individuals to find ways of either coping with it or surrendering to it. But at the same time, we have to stick to some of the health experts’ simple guidelines which one of them is washing your hands (right) with soap and water. Keep going safe before a permanent solution comes in. Good luck!