Hand hygiene and safe social greeting important part of fight against Covid-19: HMC

Dr. Jameela Al Ajmi Senior Consultant Infectious Diseases, Executive Director Infection Prevention and Control at HMC

Hand hygiene, including regularly washing your hands with soap and water as well as practicing safe social greets, are still an essential part of our fight against COVID-19, according to an expert from Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).

Dr. Jameela Al Ajmi Senior Consultant Infectious Diseases, Executive Director Infection Prevention and Control at HMC said we all still need to take key protective measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

“Thanks to the overwhelming support of the community in following the COVID-19 precautionary measures and their uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine, the number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Qatar has remained stable in recent months,” Dr. Al Ajmi said. 

“However, with the delta variant present in Qatar, like most countries around the world, it is still extremely important that people continue to adhere to precautionary measures – this importantly includes practicing hand hygiene and safe social greetings.”

Dr. Al Ajmi said that your hands and physical contact were critical ways that germs and viruses can be easily transmitted.

"Our fight against COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of hand hygiene as one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of viruses,” Dr. Al Ajmi said. “Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community—from your home and workplace to schools and hospitals.

“We should also not stop following other basic infection prevention measures such as hand hygiene and safe social greetings. This includes hand washing with soap, using hand sanitizers and reducing the need to touch surfaces where possible. If you are unable to access soap and water, use hand sanitizers,” she said.

“Also, avoiding physical contact including not shaking hands or kissing when greeting another person is an important measure we can all take to keep us all safe.”

In addition to getting vaccinated people should adhere to the following measures to reduce their chances of catching COVID-19:

• Keeping a safe distance from people
• Avoiding physical contact, including greeting people by shaking hands and kissing
• Using your sleeve to cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing or use tissue paper and dispose of it appropriately
• Wearing a face mask in public