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Nurse Shares Video To Show How Quickly Germs Can Spread Even With Gloves

Nurse Shares Video To Show How Quickly Germs Can Spread Even With Gloves

She wanted people to understand that gloves are no substitute for washing their hands

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

A nurse has shared a video to show how quickly germs can spread even while wearing gloves.

Molly Lixey, who used to be an emergency room nurse, shared a clip of herself to show the importance of regular hand washing throughout the pandemic.

Lixey, from Michigan in the US, starts the clip by telling people that it's fine to wear gloves while out shopping but that everyone needs to be aware of the dangers of cross-contamination.

In the video she pulls on a pair of gloves and uses green paint as 'germs'.

Once the gloves are on, she talks through what could be a typical trip to the shops could entail - showing that as soon as you touch any item in a store you could be picking up potentially harmful germs.

Molly explained gloves alone are unlikely to protect people from harmful germs.
Molly Lixey via Storyful

Lixey then asks: "That's fine, right? Because it's on my gloves?" before explaining that at this point her phone could start to ring and without really giving it a second thought she's picked up the phone and is replying to a text, all while wearing the germ-covered gloves.

She continues to touch things and attract more germs - or green paint - before reaching up and scratching her nose, spreading the germs across her face. Not ideal.

Shopping over, she then imitates hopping back in her car and removing the gloves, but instead of responsibly putting them in a bin, she chucks them - and their germs - onto the ground.

By the end of the clip, Lixey's phone and face are covered in green paint, meanwhile, her pretend-germy-gloves are lying in a car park.

She finishes the video by saying: "There's no point in wearing gloves, if you're not going to wash your hands every time you touch something."

The clip has since been shared thousands of times with people using it to highlight how important it is to keep washing our hands.

Speaking to CNN about the video, Lixey said: "I understand as a nurse I have had extensive training in the use of PPE, but many people in the general public have not.

Molly adds the best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your face.
Molly Lixey via Storyful

"They are all so fearful right now they will do anything to protect themselves, but it's important they do so properly. "

Adding: "It terrifies me to think people believe they're safe only because they are wearing gloves and not have them be aware that they could still be harming themselves or others."

It's okay to not panic. LADbible and UNILAD's aim with our series, Cutting Through, is to provide our community with facts and stories from the people who are either qualified to comment or have experienced first-hand the situation we're facing. For more information from the World Health Organisation on coronavirus, click here.

Featured Image Credit: Molly Lixey via Storyful

Topics: Coronavirus, Health, US