Coronavirus Q&A: Can I keep hand sanitizer in my car? Who is at high risk for COVID-19?

Here are answers to some commonly-asked questions about making social choices during the coronavirus pandemic:

Is it safe to store sanitizer in my car?

Medical experts have urged people to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer frequently to help slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

To assure they have quick access, many people tend to store hand sanitizer in their cars. The habit likely is not a problem as long as users take precautions.

In order for hand sanitizer to be effective killing germs that cause the new coronavirus, the sanitizer must be comprised of at least 60% alcohol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The big concern is whether the sanitizer could get hot enough that alcohol evaporates, reducing the effectiveness of the sanitizer.

A study in the journal Temperature found that a car parked in the sun on a day when the outside temperature was 95 degrees developed an internal temperature of 116 degrees within an hour. The dashboard got as hot as 157 degrees. Alcohol boils at 173 degrees Fahrenheit, so Yahoo! News reports it’s unlikely the sanitizer will lose much of its alcohol content in a hot car.

However, leaving the sanitizer in direct sunlight can cause a fire.

“Most hand sanitizer is alcohol-based and a flammable substance,” Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Yahoo! “You want to make sure it’s not too hot in your car.”

While it’s safest to carry sanitizer with you rather

hand than leaving it in a hot car for an extended period of time, experts suggest it should be OK in a vehicle as long as you keep it out of direct sunlight.

Who is at highest risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms?

The CDC released a revised list of conditions that put a person at higher risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms.

Studies in China when the outbreak began suggested pregnant women were less likely to suffer severe COVID-19 symptoms, but more pregnant women have since developed symptoms and were moved into a higher risk group by the CDC Thursday.

Sickle-cell disease patients were added to the highest risk list and the weight people have to hit before they are considered high risk was lowered.

People with the following conditions at any age are considered high risk for severe reactions: chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, anyone who has had organ transplants and are immunocompromised, anyone who is obese with a body mass index of 30 or higher, anyone with serious heart conditions, those who have sickle-cell disease and those with type 2 diabetes.

The CDC also lists another group that might be at high risk for severe reactions, including pregnant women, those who suffer from an array of autoimmune diseases, people with asthma and smokers.

The CDC stresses COVID-19 is a relatively new disease and lists of confirmed high risk groups are evolving. Those who do not have high risk conditions can still suffer severe COVID-19 symptoms.

In

regards

to

takeout foods, common sense tells me not to pick up sandwiches that have been handled, but instead get foods that can then be heated at home in the microwave or in the oven (like pizza). Advice?

Libby Richards, an associate professor at the Purdue University School of Nursing who teaches courses on population health, said there currently is no indication coronavirus can be spread through food.

“I feel comfortable ordering from my typical go-to places,” she wrote in an email. “If you are concerned, order takeout food that needs to be freshly prepared and can be reheated. It’s more important to practice social distancing when getting your food. For example, consider having the delivery person leave the food at the door instead of having faceto-face contact.”

What effect does a chlorinated pool have on the virus?

Richards: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated that there is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread through the use of pools and hot tubs. The key is that the pool or hot tub is in proper operation and has been properly maintained with adequate amounts of disinfectants such as chlorine or bromine. Proper filtration and use of disinfectants in pools and hot tubs should remove or inactivate the COVID-19 virus.”

Additionally, the CDC indicates that the proper operation of aquatic venues and disinfection of the water (with chlorine or bromine) should render the virus inactive.