Mobile phones may be potential carrier of Coronavirus, says AIIMS study

NEW DELHI: The mobile phones that we are carrying every time is not safe when the confirmed cases of COVID19 have crossed 80,000 as the findings of study conducted by a group of doctors of premier institutes have warned that mobile phones can be a potential carrier of the virus and it may lead to infection among healthcare workers.

As the findings of the study conducted by a group of doctors from AIIMS, Raipur has recommended putting restrictions on the use of mobile phones in healthcare institutions as it may become a cause of virus transmission among healthcare workers.

In a report published in the BMJ Global Health journal, the doctors stated that mobile phone surfaces are a peculiar ‘high-risk' surface, which can directly come in contact with the face or mouth, even if hands are properly washed. The study also indicated that some healthcare workers use phones every 15 minutes to two hours.

The paper highlighted that there is no mention of focus on mobile phones in the guidelines issued by the WHO and CDC as it stressed on infection control and prevention guidelines that recommend the use of handwashing.

“In healthcare facilities, phones are used to communicate with other healthcare workers, look up recent medical guidelines, research drug interactions, understand adverse events and side effects, conduct telemedicine appointments and track patients among others,” the journal stated.

The document has been authored by Dr Vineet Kumar Pathak, Dr Sunil Kumar Panigrahi, Dr M Mohan Kumar, Dr Utsav Raj and Dr Karpaga Priya P from the Department of Community and Family Medicine.

“In their tendency to come in direct contact with the face, nose or eyes in healthcare settings, mobile phones are perhaps second only to masks, caps or goggles,” the study paper stated.

“However, they are neither disposable nor washable like these other three, thus warranting disinfection. Mobile phones can effectively negate hand hygiene... There is growing evidence that mobile phones are a potential vector for pathogenic organisms,” the published paper said.

In India, as per a study, almost 100 per cent of health workers of a tertiary care hospital use mobile phones in the hospital, but only 10 per cent of them wipe their mobile phones in the day.