Washing of hands

On a recent trip to a COVID/dementia ward I was chatting to the nurse about COVID testing and who’s supposed to be doing what. She said she had tested positive for COVID and phoned in to let the boss know, they asked her if she felt alright and if so, just go to work as normal.

How many of you ride with a bottle on your bike when riding off-road?

Yes – with a flip up cover over the spout.

FFS have we learnt nothing about respiratory virus transmission from the pandemic.

It’s airborne, not droplets/hands!

Ok some transmission from contact in some cases. Certainly norovirus. But colds, flu, coronavirus….

IT’S AIRBORNE!

MASKS and VENTILATION!

Ok some transmission from contact in some cases. Certainly norovirus. But colds, flu, coronavirus….

U OK Hun? Why the objection – there’s a variety of illnesses at the moment, some airborne, some from ‘heavier’ particles and contact with surfaces/oral.

From original post:

But better still the easiest thing is to thoroughly wash our hands (sanitiser will work for flu, covid and RSV but not Norovirus). Also use tissues and throw away and cough into a tissue or onto your sleeve (not into hands).

Standard protocol if anyone else is likely to get into the car at any reasonably immediate point in time.

You drive around with a facemask on if someone will be getting in your car soon?

Really?

Just open the bloody windows for a few seconds – you know, fresh air. But you probably walk around wearing one in fresh air. Don’t you?

Here we go again. Out come the covid karens trying to tell everyone else what to do.

Surely the best STW wind up of 2024.

I hope

Good point and the good news is that the world’s most famous germaphobe will be leading the free world again next month :

this is even more funny when you consider that Pete Hegseth’s view on washing his hands.

It is airborne. When people cough or sneeze if your near your breathing it in. I caught COVID a couple of days ago sitting in the front room with my wife. She was on the other sofa coughing and sneezing. I reckon that’s when I caught it. I had banished her to the guest bedroom but there was no getting away with it. We are a family of four I am the fourth one in the house to get it.

I agree on the hand washing but don’t forget about the airborne viruses. Long distance airborne transmission can occur in indoor settings with insufficient air replacement (BMJ). As stated up the thread very few people wear masks now. No one is isolating either. Only positive is it’s more like a winter flu as far as symptoms go. Probably a lot more serious if you have a compromised immune system.

the covid karens trying to tell everyone else what to do.

I didn’t realise basic hygiene was woke leftist nonsense

I’ve had to pull (not literally) my apprentice for not washing his hands before going for a wee. We work in the chemical industry with phosphates, plasticisers, isocyanates etc.

Why would you endanger the most fun bit of your body and have the possibility of your round dangly bits going square shaped and rotting on the corners*? Especially when you are getting paid by the hour.

* Not an actual medical complaint.

I didn’t realise basic hygiene was woke leftist nonsense

Proper no nonsense geezers spit on their hands to clean them.

Not your pouncey water and soap (and probably hand cream too FFS) that bleeding heart lefties seem to need.

two places I now make sure I wash my hands afterwards are using petrol pumps and shopping trolleys, and when using those push buttons for opening the doors on trains I’ll use my sleeve rather than my finger… the main thing though is keeping hands away from your face.

Surely the best STW wind up of 2024.

I hope

Given the poster, I doubt it. I haven’t been keeping track particularly so I could be wrong, but I don’t recall them ever making a positive post on the forum in the six years they’ve been here.

I’ve had to pull (not literally) my apprentice for not washing his hands before going for a wee.

Before getting to that point there would likely have been several door handles to which contamination could be transferred too. In our labs gloves are removed and hands washed before leaving.

Standard protocol if anyone else is likely to get into the car at any reasonably immediate point in time.

I haven’t done that for three years or so. I’m not sure if I’ve still got any masks in the car. Speaking as someone who’s been vaxxed at every available opportunity. Both flu and Covid.

And yes, I do wash my hands whenever necessary.

Just for the hard of reading- it’s been Health Specialists asking everyone to wash their hands thoroughly before handling food and using the loo. But it isn’t a hardship to do this when we get inside after being out and about.

You must have missed the  wilding your garden thread, taking the train rather than flying, some interesting cycle touring routes and a generally socially responsible attitude in the OP’s posts, Cougar. 😉

I use public transport quite a lot and sometimes I’m amazed when I don’t catch the streaming cold off the person I’ve spent 14 hours sitting next to on a Flixbus. Then I’ll have no social contact beyond shopping and catch Covid despite vaccination and already having had a dose three months earlier. Sometimes my immune system seems bombproof and others pathetic.

Today I cleaned the horse’s feet then couldn’t resist taking a bite out of the grubby apple rolling around in the bottom of a bucket of grubby horse brushes before feeding it to said horse which slavered on my hand. The apple was so good I picked another out of the bucket with a dirty slavery hand, rubbed some of the dirt off on my filthy riding jacket and munched it. I’ll be fine.

Sometimes my immune system seems bombproof and others pathetic.

Can relate. My OH has been coughing the past two weeks, the kids have had colds, yet I’ve been fine, even expecting to get ill wondering why I haven’t. Sods law my immune system will give up as soon I’m home from the last day of work before the festive break ?

You have wrong end of that particular stick, @Edukator. Cougar was referring to the poster of this gem

Here we go again. Out come the covid karens trying to tell everyone else what to do.

not the OP.

That’s reassuring, onewheelgood. Sorry, Cougar.

Nora virus…. thats a fun few days, mainly down to basic hygiene or the lack of it.

You can maintain the strictest levels of hygiene and still easily catch norovirus if you come in contact with someone suffering from it. It’s that contagious.

Someone with norovirus vomiting will release viral particles into the atmosphere.

Unless one has lived in a cave for the past fortnight, its been mentioned on the news that our hospitals are at bursting point due to influenza, Covid, Norovirus and RSV

It’s winter. That’s what happens every winter.

We’ve just had emails from our bosses about Christmas Covid on the rise, taking over our EDs.

I just checked our patient flow app. 60 people in our ED. One with sus Covid. There’s more people in with broken toes than Covid. hahah

[RustyNissanPrairie]

RustyNissanPrairie

Full Member

I’ve had to pull (not literally) my apprentice for not washing his hands <em style=”box-sizing: border-box; –tw-border-spacing-x: 0; –tw-border-spacing-y: 0; –tw-translate-x: 0; –tw-translate-y: 0; –tw-rotate: 0; –tw-skew-x: 0; –tw-skew-y: 0; –tw-scale-x: 1; –tw-scale-y: 1; –tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; –tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; –tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; –tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246/0.5); –tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; –tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; –tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; –tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000;”>before going for a wee. We work in the chemical industry with phosphates, plasticisers, isocyanates etc.

Don’t you have to provide safety equipment / PPE? He’s expected to work in bare hands with all those chems?

I’ve had to pull (not literally) my apprentice for not washing his hands <em style=”box-sizing: border-box; –tw-border-spacing-x: 0; –tw-border-spacing-y: 0; –tw-translate-x: 0; –tw-translate-y: 0; –tw-rotate: 0; –tw-skew-x: 0; –tw-skew-y: 0; –tw-scale-x: 1; –tw-scale-y: 1; –tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; –tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; –tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; –tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246/0.5); –tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; –tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; –tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; –tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000;”>before going for a wee. We work in the chemical industry with phosphates, plasticisers, isocyanates etc.

Don’t you have to provide safety equipment / PPE? He’s expected to work in bare hands with all those chems?

It’s winter. That’s what happens every winter.

No it doesn’t, which is why norovirus for example is currently in the news :

https://news.sky.com/story/number-of-suspected-norovirus-cases-more-than-double-the-five-year-average-13274072

The number of norovirus cases is not more than double the five year average every winter.

Spikes in highly contagious viruses such influenza, Covid, Norovirus and RSV can put enormous pressures on the NHS, and not least when several occur at the same time.

So minimising their spread not only helps individuals but also helps the NHS as a whole. An NHS which still has to deal with all manner of other things such as A&E and cancer cases.

I am surprised that this point still needs to be made.

Nora virus…. thats a fun few days, mainly down to basic hygiene or the lack of it.

Shit way to spend Christmas.

Cougar and I are ‘besties’ (not beasties :O) )

Norovirus is pretty good at spreading to be fair to it. I think I had it once in my 20s: I wretched so hard I injured a rib or tweaked intercostal muscles for several months, and forever since whenever my immune system is activated I get an ache deep in my shoulders. Best avoided if possible.

No it doesn’t, which is why norovirus for example is currently in the news :

Mate Noro is in the news most winters. The “winter d&v bug”. 2023 they called it the “Quad-demic”. 2022 was the same. 2021 people were waffling about some virus thing called Covid.

2021: NOROVIRUS is surging across Britain with outbreaks of the vicious vomiting bug THREE times higher than over the past five years, experts have warned

So that’s the last 3 winters of Quad-Demic plus this year… I cba to keep going further back to prove you more wrongerer? But maybe it would have been a tri-demic as maybe Covid wasn’t really a known thing until Dec 2019 ish.

You drive around with a facemask on if someone will be getting in your car soon?

*my* car? Depends if i’m coughing and spluttering and/or if anyone else is going to be getting into it with me who isn’t in the immediate family. (So i’ll probably be coughing and spluttering on them quite a lot of the time. Or them on me.)

A car that loads of people are getting in and out of, quite often, yes.

Just open the bloody windows for a few seconds – you know, fresh air.

You really don’t understand the first thing about airborne or surface transmission of viruses do you?

But you probably walk around wearing one in fresh air. Don’t you?

Depends if i’m going to be hacking my lungs up all over people or not?

Mate Noro is in the news most winters

So you are claiming that the UKHSA are actually lying and currently the norovirus level is no more than what you would normally expect this time of the year.

Well given that the choice is whether to believe the UKHSA or some random punter who claims to ride a MTB I think you can probably guess who I choose to believe, mate.

So you are claiming that the UKHSA are actually lying and currently the norovirus level is no more than what you would normally expect this time of the year.

No, that’s not what I’m claiming. That’s what you have written.

I said it’s in the news most winters.

You’re quoting Sky News ffs

You’ve gone a bit ranty and personal, so if and when you wind ya neck in and calm down we can continue this discussion.

“Random punter that claims to ride a mtb”….. haha….. Pot /kettle eh, mate?  (46 years of riding bikes and over 2 decades working in healthcare so let’s nip that in the bud, chap).   x

So that’s the last 3 winters of Quad-Demic plus this year… I cba to keep going further back to prove you more wrongerer? But maybe it would have been a tri-demic as maybe Covid wasn’t really a known thing until Dec 2019 ish.

Shit hygiene in the UK is not a new thing I see.

Shit hygiene in hospitals, no less. 🙂

You’re quoting Sky News ffs

So Sky News are part of this conspiracy?

Random punter that claims to ride a mtb”….. haha….. Pot /kettle eh, mate?

How is it anything to do with pots and kettles? Unlike you I’m not expecting anyone to believe me, I am suggesting that they might perhaps want to believe the UKHSA who claim that currently norovirus cases are higher than the seasonal average.

Unlike you mate I don’t have the slightest idea of the current situation so I am relying on information provided by organisations in the heath sector.

Maybe a strongly worded letter to the UKHSA pointing out your expertise based on 46 years of riding bikes and over 2 decades working in healthcare ?

Shit hygiene in hospitals, no less.

Yes, but also generally poor hygiene in the population as well. A colleague has norovirus wizzing around the kids school – following Thursday Christmas fair with all the adults in the place!

In response to the posts above about our water bottles getting dirty, Decathlon do a nice snap-on cover to protect the mouth piece for a quid or so.

Riding on bridleways, fields with live stock on and through farm yards I will literally be riding through sh1t at times. I started looking a few years ago for a solution.

Are the people arguing on this thread saying that they aren’t washing hands or coughing into sleeves/a tissue?

A simple few easy things that we should all be doing, take little time and be part of everyday life, things that will help everyone.

Watching a man picking his nose in a car, another man wiping his dripping nose onto his hand and then picking up a shopping basket are the very people we need to wash their hands. Basic hygiene is not a hardship.

It’s been shown that one of the most contaminated things we use are mobile phones. Millions of people use them whilst on the toilet and don’t think anything about it and it’s one thing they probably never clean. How many blokes have you seen standing at a urinal with a phone in one hand when having a pee ( or the show offs that have two hand on the phone whilst peeing!!). Then washing their hands but going out and putting it the phone down on a table even in a restaurant and then eating. I’m sure lots of women do the same. I’m sure most of  us have  had a wee numerous times when out on the bike then called in a bakers for a sarny and eaten it without washing our hand. Or seen to a puncture, changing a tyre that’s been through all sorts of crap,literally and then in a pub for a pint or a cafe for a coffee without going to the toilet first to wash out hands. Probably most of us and not thought anything about it. Don’t get too hung up about it all our immune system is pretty robust or we’d never have survived as kids (who are probably the most unhygienic people on the planet when in school despite what you’ve instilled into them about hand washing)

Or seen to a puncture, changing a tyre that’s been through all sorts of crap,literally and then in a pub for a pint or a cafe for a coffee without going to the toilet first to wash out hands.

No. I go and wash my hands first. Dirty!