Which is better: Soap or hand sanitizer? - Alex Rosenthal and Pall Thordarson

What is the protective outer surface of a coronavirus primarily made of?

• A protein capsid

• A lipid bilayer

• A carbohydrate shell

• Genetic material (RNA)

How do soap molecules help destroy viruses like the coronavirus?

• They freeze the virus, making it inactive.

• They create a protective shield around the virus.

• They break apart the virus's outer lipid layer and form bubbles around its parts.

• They make the virus stick to the skin more tightly.

Why do doctors recommend washing your hands for at least 20 seconds?

• To allow the water to reach the correct temperature.

• To ensure the soap has enough time to dry on your hands.

• To make sure the soap reaches all the small folds and areas on your hands.

• To give the virus time to become visible.

Why might hand sanitizer be more effective than soap and water against some viruses, like the rhinovirus (common cold)?

• Rhinoviruses are much smaller than coronaviruses.

• Rhinoviruses have a protein capsid instead of a lipid membrane, which hand sanitizer can destabilize.

• Soap and water cannot remove rhinovirus particles from the skin.

• Hand sanitizer works faster on all types of viruses.