key: cord-278509-k62bsk9b authors: Manikandan, Natesan title: Are social distancing, hand washing and wearing masks can mitigate the transmission of COVID-19? date: 2020-09-12 journal: Vacunas DOI: 10.1016/j.vacun.2020.09.001 sha: doc_id: 278509 cord_uid: k62bsk9b nan J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f most of countries announced preparedness plans for COVID-19 including lockdown, self-isolation, social distancing, hand washing and wearing face mask. The rapid spread of COVID-19 was mainly due to a or pre-symptomatic cases and travelling of cases with or without symptoms. Many countries are implementing social distancing as key containment measures. 7 In a new modeling study in Singapore, Joel R Koo and colleagues found that the combined approach of physical distancing interventions, quarantine, school closure, and workplace distancing, is the most effective at reducing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. 8 A report from the United States suggested that social distancing interventions can give communities vital time to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. 9 However, maintaining social distancing in public places (distancing 6 feet away from others) is many times inadequate. 5 Because of population movement in everyday life, maintaining 6 feet distancing in public places such as work environment, restaurants, public transportation and market areas is difficult to comply with distancing (CDC). While hand washing can effectively limit transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through indirect contact, hand rubbing with alcohol based hand sanitizers and disinfectants are also recommended to be practiced by infected individuals, their close contacts as well as by the general population. This practice could help to lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission. 10 For the general population, the Centers for Disease control and prevention (CDC) recommends wearing of cloth based face masks in public environment to prevent the COVID-19. [11] [12] [13] This could help reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from symptomatic as well as asymptomatic cases. 14 As to potentially effective therapies, there are several trials to assess their safety and efficacy as potential treatments for COVID-19, such as antivirals, systemic interferons, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, dexamethasone, chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine, and monoclonal antibodies against interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-4. [18] [19] [20] (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/covid-19/latest-evidence/vaccines-and-treatment). Nevertheless, to overcome this global threat, combination of preventive measures like social distancing, hand washing and wearing face masks are the important key practices to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 in the community. Going global -Travel and the 2019 novel corona virus Clinical Characteristics of 138 Hospitalized Patients With 2019 Novel Coronavirus-Infected Pneumonia in Wuhan, China Two metres or one: what is the evidence for physical distancing in covid-19? Interventions to mitigate early spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Singapore: a modelling study Evaluating the effectiveness of social distancing interventions to delay or flatten the epidemic curve of coronavirus disease Non pharmaceutical measures for pandemic influenza in non healthcare settingspersonal protective and environmental measures Absence of Apparent Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Two Stylists After Exposure at a Hair Salon with a Universal Face Covering Policy DOI Factors Associated with Cloth Face Covering Use Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic -United States SARS-CoV-2 viral load in upper respiratory specimens of infected patients The role of community-wide wearing of face mask for control of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic due to SARS-CoV-2 Impact of self-imposed prevention measures and short-term governmentimposed social distancing on mitigating and delaying a COVID-19 epidemic: A modelling study Can self-imposed prevention measures mitigate the COVID-19 epidemic Solidarity" clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments Update on treatments and vaccines against COVID-19 under development