Coronavirus Warning: Having Long Nails Is One Of The Fastest Ways To Infect Others

Millions of lives have been drastically changed because of the coronavirus outbreak. On the brighter side, the virus outbreak has caused people to observe better hygiene practices. Everyone is now washing their hands carefully, particularly if they have come home from work or shopping.

A nurse, however, has issued a stark warning that such hygienic practices may be for naught if you have long nails. She said that germs, bacteria, and even the dreaded coronavirus, can hide underneath your fingernails, especially when they are long.

Keeping Your Nails Short

According to the health worker from Australia, the best practice in terms of good hygiene includes trimming your nails and keeping them short. To see if your fingernails are short enough, try pressing the tip of your finger against the skin. If you can feel your nails but not the flesh of your finger, then your fingernails are too long and should be trimmed. This is to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

In a Facebook post, the nurse said that many people are already aware, and in fact, observing, hand-washing instructions by health experts, as well as the 20-second song recommendations. Nothing has been mentioned, however, about long fingernails and how impossible it is to properly wash your hands if your nails are long.

She also said if you cannot put your fingernails down against your other palm without the nails adding some distance, it will be difficult to wash under your hands properly. That is unless you are using nail brushes every time you wash your hands.

Nail Biting

Aside from long fingernails increasing the risk of COVID-19 infection, the habit of biting nails is also being discouraged. According to a specialist in allergy and infectious diseases, nail-biting could increase the risk of a person getting infected with the coronavirus.

Dr. Purvi Parikh, a fellow from the New York University’s Langone Medical Center, issued this stark warning to those who are fond of biting their nails. In an interview with a media outlet, Dr. Purvi said that bacteria, dirt, debris, and viruses could collect under your nails. All of these bacteria, germs, viruses, dirt, and debris can then be transferred to the mouth when you bite your nails. You can get sick by sticking to this habit, the specialist said in his final statement.