Without access to soap and clean water, more than two billion people in low-and middle-income nations have a greater likelihood of acquiring and transmitting the coronavirus than those in wealthy countries, warn researchers.
The study was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. In 46 countries, more than half of the people lacked access to soap and clean water. In India, China, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Indonesia, more than 50 million persons in each were estimated to be without handwashing access.
Washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, repeatedly throughout the day, is critical. But in India and many developing countries, the message ignores an important question: What if you don’t have enough clean water? A single 20-second hand wash plus setting and rinsing uses at least two litres of water. Imagine how much water would be used per day by a family of four.
Handwashing is one of the key measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission, yet it is distressing that access is unavailable in many countries that also have limited health care capacity. Implementing long-term solutions are needed to protect against COVID-19 and the more than 700,000 deaths each year due to poor handwashing access.