Clorox and COVID-19

 

    As we are all very aware the COVID-19 Pandemic has drastically uprooted many lives and has changed the day-to-day routines of nearly everyone throughout the world. Sparse grocery store shelfs, empty restaurants and bars, and packed hospitals have all become the new normal for us since March 2020. With this in mind, how is the disinfection of these places being monitored and is this really helping stop the spread of COVID-19 or are we on the brink of a war against anti-microbial/anti-viral resistance? Since the beginning of quarantine finding a package of disinfectant wipes, anti-microbial cleaning sprays, and other common disinfectants has been like finding a needle in a haystack and as someone who used to religiously use Clorox Wipes and Lysol (ask any of my friends), I am very familiar with these products and their wonderful sanitizing properties. These products are being used more than ever, on nearly every surface humans come in contact with, whether it’s at the grocery, in the classroom, or the ED of your local hospital. While this is all fine and dandy in helping control the spread of COVID-19, is there a bigger beast we should be worried about down the line?

            Since the late 20^th century, scientists and doctors have warned the public about excessive use of household anti-microbial/anti-bacterial/anti-viral cleaning products, as they can further worsen ones susceptibility to infection (Wise et al., 1998). Nearly 30 years after the initial discussion, COVID-19 has brought about drastic concerns regarding anti-microbial resistance. As the rates of transmission have recently skyrocketed to levels not seen since the beginning of quarantine, it is now important as ever to maintain good hygiene habits and practice social distancing. Unfortunately, that means the use of more antimicrobial cleaners and disinfectants in areas that are vital to human life. It has been proposed by some scientists that the over disinfection and sterilizing of the places I have previously mentioned could actually create a better environment for the virus as they’re will be less microbial competition (Rawson et al., 2020). More importantly, the significantly increased use of these products in hospitals, walk-in clinics, and COVID-19 testing centers can spur the diagnosis of hospital-related infections such as bloodstream infections, UTI’s, pneumonia, and surgical site infection, among other things (cdc.gov). By no means am I discrediting the seriousness of this virus, but I do believe we as a society need to evaluate our use of household disinfecting products so we do not wake a beast that may have more extreme consequences than COVID-19.

 Works Cited

Rawson, T., Moore, L., Castro-Sanchez, E., Charani, E., Davies, F., Satta, G., . . . Holmes, A. (2020, May 20). COVID-19 and the potential long-term impact on antimicrobial resistance. Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://academic.oup.com/jac/article/75/7/1681/5841159

Types of Healthcare-associated Infections. (2014, March 26). Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/hai/infectiontypes.html

Wise, R., Hart, T., Cars, O., Streulens, M., Helmuth, R., Huovinen, P., & Sprenger, M. (1998, September 05). Antimicrobial Resistance. Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://www.bmj.com/content/317/7159/609