Nurse's disturbing demonstration shows how quickly germs can be spread
A nurse has shared a video on social media to explain how wearing gloves can give a false sense of security when it comes to stopping the spread of germs during the coronavirus outbreak.
Molly Lixey from Michigan said that she had recently noticed many people out and about wearing gloves, which she applauded, but said most people were making a major mistake when they wore gloves.
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“I want to remind you of a little thing called cross contamination,” Ms Lixey said.
Armed with green paint and using the example of shopping in a supermarket, Ms Lixey, filmed how easily germs can spread from surface to surface, even after changing gloves.
After putting on gloves Ms Lixey went through the motions of grocery shopping and dipped her finger tips in paint to simulate the germs left on hands after picking up toilet paper and placing it in the trolley.
She then simulated responding to a text by replacing her phone for a white piece of cardboard, and scratched her nose, leaving paint symbolising germs, on everything she touched.
“Look at all this bacteria but it’s totally fine because I’m wearing my gloves, I have my gloves on, I’m so safe in my gloves, right?” Ms Lixey says, showing how far the paint had spread.
The nurse then said after coming back to their car, most people open the car door and take their gloves off, and said this is the point where a lot of people go wrong.
“So now your gloves are off, your hands are clean but then your phone rings,” Ms Lixey said and she demonstrated answering her phone, this time without gloves.
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She then takes a phone call, leaving green paint on the side of her face and on her hands.
“This I called cross contamination,” she said showing her bare hands with paint on them.
This is because whatever bacteria is other phone from when she used it with gloves, has now migrated to her bare hands and everything else she touched.
“There is no point in wearing gloves if you’re not going to wash your hands every time you touch something,” the nurse said.
Ms Lixey told CNN she made the video on a whim to demonstrate how easily germs can spread, especially when people assume gloves alone will protect them from everything.
“To think people believe they are safe only because they are wearing gloves,” the nurse said, adding that she feels people are “so fearful right now they will do anything to protect themselves, but it’s important they do so properly”.
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