Keep that bottle of mouthwash closer to you like you do your sanitizer- is what scientists are suggesting to people across the world after finding the results of a study.
According to the scientists at Cardiff University, over-the-counter mouthwashes can hold the ability to kill the deadly coronavirus within 30 seconds of getting exposed to the liquid.
In the study, the researchers found that mouthwashes consisting of a minimum of 0.07% cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) can drastically reduce the virus transmission by killing it with a certain virucidal action.
The research work showed “promising results”, said the scientists of the university.
Their initial report, which is due to be peer-reviewed by other scientists and research analysts, backs another study brought out in the past week. This earlier study had said that mouthwashes with CPC aided in bringing down the virus content from people already infected with it, meaning that the severity of the disease could be reduced with the help of mouthwashes.
It comes ahead of a clinical trial, findings of which are expected in the early months of 2021, that has begun researching on whether mouthwashes have the potential of reducing the coronavirus from a patient’s saliva or not. This study is being conducted at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.
Currently, the clinical trial being monitored in Cardiff University, headed by Professor David Thomas, uses Dentyl as the only UK-based mouthwash brand.
The doctor said in an interview with the PA news agency that more clinical research is required amid the new developments and findings as it is very much needed even though the in-vitro study showed positive and encouraging results.
“We need to understand if the effect of over-the-counter mouthwashes on the COVID-19 virus achieved in the laboratory can be reproduced in patients, and we look forward to completing our clinical trial in early 2021,” Dr. Thomas said.
A periodontologist, Dr. Nick Clayton, said that mouthwashes can prove to be an important factor in tackling the virus with the matched use of “handwash, social distancing and wearing of masks, not just now but in the future as well”.
The world has recorded over 54 million confirmed infections of covid-19, and experts fear that the actual count is much higher as many governments are pinching down the number to show their improvement. Several nations have increased the coronavirus restrictions, including the US and Europe, in order to stop the ever-growing trail of the virus.
With vaccine candidates showing their own promising results, the world is clinging on to them as the ultimate source of freedom from the vaccine.
The US-based drugmaker Moderna announced on Monday that its preliminary report brought from a developing phase 3 of its experimental vaccine showed the candidate to be 94.5% effective in preventing covid-19, giving news hopes to people globally.
This development was made after Pfizer, in its statement, last week, said that its vaccine candidate that is in phase 3 of a clinical trial, being made in partnership with BioNTech, showed 90% efficacy.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that a vaccine alone cannot end the pandemic and people need to imbibe it as a part of everyday life.
