From pictures on social media to shoppers in the grocery store, lots of people are gloving up, before heading outside.
The Verify team answered questions from viewers about wearing gloves during the pandemic.
QUESTION:
Are health professionals recommending the use of gloves for the general public?
ANSWER:
No.
SOURCES:
Dr. Robert Amler- dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College, and a former chief medical officer at the CDC
Pam Farrare-Wilmore- director of Infection Control and Prevention at MedStar Washington Hospital Center
PROCESS:
Our experts explain that gloves can easily become contaminated like other surfaces, and it's best to not use gloves, and simply practice good health hygiene instead.
"Leave the gloves at home," Dr. Amler said. "Be extra careful where you're going, wash your hands off, clean off surfaces with a wipe or hand sanitizer. When you're done, don't touch your face until you've cleansed those hands."
Pam Farrare-Wilmore, director of infection control and prevention at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, says you have to wash your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds, or for convenience, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that's a minimum 60% alcohol.
Neither the CDC nor WHO are currently recommending that healthy people wear gloves when they’re out and about.
The CDC recommends wearing gloves while cleaning surfaces around the house.
QUESTION:
For those who want to wear to gloves, is there a proper way to dispose of them?
ANSWER:
Yes, in the trash.
SOURCES:
Dr. Robert Amler – Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College, and a former chief medical officer at the CDC
Pam Farrare-Wilmore – Director of Infection Control and Prevention at MedStar Washington Hospital Center
PROCESS:
"It’s not medical waste, but throw them in the garbage," Dr. Amler said. "Make sure that the garbage is closed or sealed… you don’t want just an open bin.”
Our expert from MedStar Washington Hospital Center agreed, adding that it's important to pick up after yourself so that no one else must touch your dirty gloves.
"Discard them, because that eliminates that process for someone else to come behind you and have to clean that up," Farrare- Wilmore said. "So be mindful."
QUESTION:
Is there a safe way to take off a used glove?
ANSWER:
Yes. A method approved of my the CDC minimizes the risk of the dirty glove touching your skin.
SOURCES:
Dr. Robert Amler – Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College, and a former chief medical officer at the CDC
Pam Farrare-Wilmore – Director of Infection Control and Prevention at MedStar Washington Hospital Center
PROCESS:
Here is a tutorial of how to safely remove used gloves from Pam Farrare-Wilmore:
