Handwashing 6-10 times a day linked to lower infection risk

Moderate frequency handwashing six to ten times a day is linked to a lower risk of seasonal coronavirus infection, according to a new UCL study. The research, published in  Wellcome Open Research  and awaiting peer review, is the first empirical evidence that regular handwashing can reduce personal risk of acquiring seasonal coronavirus infection. It draws on data from three successive winter cohorts (2006 to 2009) of the England-wide Flu Watch study. Sarah Beale (UCL Institute of Health Informatics), PhD researcher and first author on the study, said: "Given that Covid-19 appears to demonstrate similar transmission mechanisms to seasonal coronaviruses, these findings support clear public health messaging around the protective effects of handwashing during the pandemic." "It's important to highlight that frequency of handwashing is only one aspect of hand hygiene.  We also know that both longer duration of handwashing and the context of handwashing e.g. upon returning home or before eating - have been associated with lower overall risk of influenza or influenza-like-illness. "Good hand hygiene should be practiced at all times regardless of whether you show symptoms or not. This will help protect yourself and prevent unwittingly spreading the virus to others around you." For this study, 1,633 participants provided baseline estimates of hand hygiene behaviour and coronavirus infections were identified from nasal swabs.