Touch screen phones overlooked as infection risk

Making voice calls with the phone close to the mouth will concentrate potentially infected saliva on the screen. By swiping phone screens and then touching other things it is very likely that the virus can spread, It is essentially to same as people going around spitting on things. It would help to explain how Covid infection can spread so quickly even be people who have no symptoms like coughing or sneezing.

Could this -at least in part- explain the still mysteriously high infection rate even with lockdown and distancing?

I have tried to get this idea across to authorities and news media for the last three weeks but I might as well be talking down a black hole.

Tell me, is there anything, anything at all against government advice including some simple phone hygiene?

For example:
Clean phone and hands after each close-to-mouth voice call. Use loud speaker when practical.
Touch the screen with a stylus pen instead of fingers when possible.

Possibly ban close-to-mouth voice calls in public places where there is a high risk of infection through contaminated surfaces.

Why the contribution is important

Drastically reducing the spread of the virus by people who do not have any symptoms.

by Ro2 on May 08, 2020 at 09:50AM

Current Rating

Average rating: 2.0
Based on: 8 votes

Comments

  • Posted by AberdeenMan May 08, 2020 at 10:11

    How many people use your phone? I am the only one who uses my phone and I'd suggest that 99. 9% of people only share theirs with someone in their home e.g. partner or child.

    Therefore they'd have passed the virus to them anyway as they live together. I can't see this contributing in any meaningful way to the spread.

  • Posted by Pythagoras May 08, 2020 at 10:41

    My phone poses virtually no risk to me or anybody else.

  • Posted by Ro2 May 08, 2020 at 10:59

    It is not about sharing your phone. It is about some of your spit landing on your phone when you talk into it. When you swipe your phone to end the call, the spit ends up on your finger. Your finger will then touch something else than your phone, like a door handle, and so spread the virus to other people who touch it.

  • Posted by benmo May 08, 2020 at 11:23

    It’s all about good personal hygiene unfortunately not everyone follows it.
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