The Great Hand Sanitizer Debate

If you’ve paid the store a visit lately, you may have noticed empty shelves where bottles of hand sanitizer and Lysol wipes once lived.

But does hand sanitizer kill coronavirus?

Richard Watkins, M.D., a Northeast Ohio Medical University associate professor of internal medicine who specializes in infectious disease, says yes and no.

“Hand sanitizer can help protect you from coronavirus, but it should not be considered your first line of defense against COVID-19,” says Dr. Watkins.

The infectious disease physician reminds Prevention readers, “We’re still in the thick of cold and flu season, and there are plenty of other germs floating around out there that you want to avoid. While hand sanitizer may help protect you from coronavirus if you happen to get it on your hands, “hand sanitizer is not effective against norovirus, C. difficile, and some parasites.”

Quick, go wash your hands, then read the full story from Prevention.