Common Habits That Can Put YOU At a Higher Risk for COVID-19

3. Touching your face

Maybe one of the most important public health recommendations is also the hardest one to follow as researchers believe we touch our faces between 16 and 23 times every hour! While it might be easier to resist the temptation of touching your face when you’re wearing glasses or a face mask because you’re fingers do not have access to your eyes, mouth, or nose, the habit f touching your face can happen so subconsciously that you don’t even realize you’re doing it.

According to Vandana A. Patel, MD, clinical advisor for online pharmacy Cabinet, “Given the number of surfaces we touch throughout the day, touching your face and/or eyes can increase the chances of a virus on your hands being transferred into your body.”

Additionally, you also need to be aware of the common, reflexive habits that make you touch, scratch an itch on the face, or moving stray hairs, “and try to avoid it the best you can,” Patel added.

Also check: What Dr. Fauci Wants YOU To Know About The COVID-19 Vaccine.

4. Biting your nails

Some people bite their nails when they’re feeling nervous, excited, or even bored, but it might not be the best habit considering the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Ellie Murray, ScD, a professor of epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health, by biting your nails you can easily introduce viruses into your mouth.

“Anything you do to kind of help the virus get from the outside world into those moist parts of your face is going to increase your risk of catching the virus,” Ellie said.

Make sure to also check: People With One Of These Blood Types Might Be Safe From COVID-19.