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As the pandemic continues into 2021, it's crucial for healthcare professionals to follow the best protocols for keeping themselves and their loved ones safe. A great deal of information regarding personal protection equipment (PPE) has spread rapidly in the last year, and it’s important to filter out incorrect information, especially when it comes to wearing protective gloves.

Gloves are an invaluable asset in the fight against all infections, including COVID-19, so it’s critical that you stay informed about the best practices when using gloves. This blog will focus on when you should wear gloves and how you can find the best medical gloves to keep you safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Role Gloves Play in Keeping You Safe

As the CDC states in this article, gloves are an indispensable asset in the fight against infections, and they’re crucial now more than ever with the spread of COVID-19. You need to wear the right gloves for the right situations in order to protect yourself and others from the spread of infections.

So how do gloves work and what role do they play in public health?

Gloves protect you from picking up viruses from contaminated surfaces. You should always wear gloves when caring for someone who is sick, and touching any objects that may have come in contact with an infected person. Wearing gloves can keep you from contracting the virus present on surfaces, and if you’re infected, it reduces the risk of spreading the virus to others. Wearing gloves is not a catch-all for preventing the spread of the virus, but, along with frequent hand washing, it does reduce your risk of infection and transmission. 

As an Infection Preventionist, your job is to make sure that your healthcare professionals, your patients, and community members at large, stay as safe as possible during this unprecedented crisis. While COVID-19 continues putting healthcare workers at risk, you need to use the right gloves to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus. 

Creating a Strategy for Glove Use During Covid-19 

You need to implement an effective strategy for wearing gloves during the pandemic. A great way you can start reducing the spread in your area is by proactively planning based on the rate of infection and new strains. Prepare for potential outbreaks and make sure that you have enough protective gloves to reduce the speed of the spread. Don’t wait until an outbreak occurs to obtain necessary glove supplies — be aware of your area’s number of cases and be ready. 

Another important step you can take to protect yourself and others is to make sure that you’re using the right gloves for protecting against COVID-19. We recommend using Latex and Nitrile gloves for easy use, protection, and affordability of healthcare workers, but you can also view resources like the OSHA PPE Guide as well as our previous blog Find the Perfect Fit- Which Disposable Glove is Right For You? to find the right gloves. 

In addition to picking the right gloves, it’s important to know when to use them and when not to use them. If you’re coming in physical contact with a person who could be infected or an infected surface, you should wear gloves. If you’re keeping at least six feet apart from others and not touching surfaces, then good hand-washing may be a better option. 

Effective hand washing is a crucial step in keeping yourself and others safe from COVID-19. Even if you were wearing gloves when coming in contact with another person or a potentially infected surface, you should still wash your hands. You need to wash your hands before and after putting on, taking off, and disposing of gloves. You should also wash your hands after exiting a public place or touching a surface that others use. 

The CDC recommends that people follow these hand washing steps: 

1. • Wet your hands with cold or warm running water. 
   • Apply soap and lather your hands, under fingernails, and between your fingers. 
   • Scrub your hands for twenty full seconds. This step is crucial and is often overlooked. 
   • Remove the soap by rinsing your hands
   • Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dryer

If you do not have access to soap and water, use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, but use soap and water whenever possible. 

Keep Yourself and Others Safe with Ventyv® 

Using protective gloves properly and hand washing will reduce your risk of contracting and spreading infections - including COVID-19. You need to be prepared for increases in cases and outbreaks, so make sure that you always have the right gloves ready. 

At Ventyv® we want to make sure you have the best protective gloves and that you know how to use them. Subscribe to our blog to learn more about using gloves effectively and staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.