DISINFO: Frequent hand washing does not protect you from COVID-19
SUMMARY
Doctor: Frequent hand washing does not protect you from COVID-19. Frequent hand washing does not protect against a coronavirus infection. The belief that frequent washing of hands repels the coronavirus does not seem to have a factual basis. The former chief medical correspondent for NBC and CBS News says the current emphasis on frequent hand washing maintains a myth that has not yet been substantiated. He said: “You can wash your hands all day, but you will still get the coronavirus.”
RESPONSE
There is no medical evidence to support the claim that hand washing is useless against the coronavirus. The WHO, the EU and its national health ministries, as well as all major international health organisations, clearly emphasise that "regularly and thoroughly cleaning your hands or washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub demonstrably kills viruses on hands", which helps to contain the spreading of COVID-19. The German Ministry for Health lays out in its protective-guidelines for patients, "to disinfect hands regularly" and in its current information on COVID-19, the German Ministry further states to protect from COVID-19 with "washing hands regularly and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds with soap and water". The same recommendations are formulated by the French Ministry for Health at its COVID-19 information page. The WHO additionally states that washing bare hands regularly offers more protection against COVID-19 than wearing rubber gloves. See more examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation about the coronavirus here.