We all know what did in The Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz”….. water. Dorothy douses the Wicked Witch with a bucket of water and the witch wails “I’m melting, melting, melting” until she’s indistinguishable from the puddle of water on the floor.
It’s a little more complicated, but the current Wicked Witch that has turned our lives upside down, the novel coronavirus, “melts” in water, too.
A retired nurse who has been a GreeneCountyNewsOnline reader from the get-go shares information from a professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University. It came to our reader friend via a Johns Hopkins newsletter.
The thing about the novel coronavirus is that it’s not a living organism. It’s a protein molecule covered by a protective layer of lipid (fat), which, when absorbed by the cells of the eye, nose or oral membrane, changes their genetic code. That change makes them aggressor and multiplier cells.
Since the virus isn’t alive, it can’t be killed. That’s why antibiotics don’t work. But, the virus decays on its own. The time it takes to decay on its own depends on the temperature, humidity and type of material where it lies.
Quoting from the newsletter: “The virus is very fragile; the only thing that protects it is a thin outer layer of fat. That is why any soap or detergent is the best remedy, because the foam cuts the fat. (That is why you have to rub so much, for 20 seconds or more, to make a lot of foam)
“By dissolving the fat layer, the protein molecule disperses and breaks down on its own.”
Remember what butter does when it gets hot? “Heat melts fat; this is why it is so good to use water above 25 degrees Celsius (that’s 77 degrees Fahrenheit) for watching hands, clothes and everything. In addition, hot water makes more foam and that makes it even more useful,” the newsletter states.
“The virus molecules remain very stable in external cold, or artificial as air conditioners in houses and cars. They also need moisture to stay stable, and especially darkness. Therefore, dehumidified, dry, warm and bright environments will degrade it faster.”
According to the newsletter, alcohol or any mixture of more than 65 percent alcohol dissolves any fat, especially the outside fat layer of the virus. Listerine mouthwash is 65 percent alcohol; it works to degrade the novel corona virus. A mixture of one part bleach to five parts water dissolves the protein, wrecking the molecule from the inside out.
Vinegar doesn’t do anything against the virus because it doesn’t break down the protective fat layer.
So, rub-a-dub-dub for 20 seconds with lots and lots of bubbles, and the Wicked Corona Witch will history sooner rather than later.
