RAS member warns about negative effects of extensive wearing of masks, gloves
MOSCOW. May 28 (Interfax) - The novel coronavirus does not survive on surfaces for a long time, so it is not just useless but also harmful to wear gloves for a long time, which could lead to fungoid diseases, head of the department of microbiology, virology and immunology at the First Moscow State Medical University and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vitaly Zverev said.
"All experiments indicating that the coronavirus survives on surfaces for 24-72 hours actually trace not the living virus but effects of its activity and genome, while the virus itself is not viable. The thing is that simple viruses, such as polio, could survive in the environment for any period of time, but such complex viruses do not live for long, they disintegrate," Zverev said.
So, the wearing of gloves is not just senseless but also harmful, he said.
"We are collecting anything - fungi, bacteria and allergens - on them and bring them home or to our face. Does a person wearing gloves abstain from touching one's face? Does it stop him/her from doing so? That's a senseless measure. Naturally, any gloves damage our skin, which is a protective mechanism and part of our inherent immunity," Zverev said.
"Skin protects much better than gloves," he said.
"We will start seeing cases of dermatitis because gloves damage skin. The cool weather was good, but it will be hot now and can you imagine what will happen to your hands? The same goes to sanitizers, which damage skin and destroy beneficial flora," Zverev said.
He also called against wearing masks in the street. "When I see children wearing masks in the street, I want to ask them who's going to treat their emphysema? It's the same when I see cycling people in masks... There is no virus in the street. You will catch nothing if you keep social distance," he said.
Masks should be worn in public areas, such as the metro and stores, "and the mask is not just useless but harmful in the street," Zverev said.
"Two hours later, the mask transforms from protective equipment into a channel that transmits infection: besides the coronavirus, there are lots of other things in the air, such as bacteria and fungi that settle down on the mask and could infect you later. Besides, grandmas will not buy new masks but will keep using the same one," Zverev said.
He said he was expecting the measures against the novel coronavirus to cause emphysema, asthma, fungoid and bacterial diseases, and allergies.
He also doubted street disinfection
"While treating the city with such substances, we are growing resistant bacteria. Bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics and disinfectants. Once that happens, some kind of blue pus bacillus gets into a medical clinic and there will be no sanitary method to drive it away," Zverev said.