Regular Nose Washing Can Prevent the Surging Omicron Covid-19, Is It True?

Kapanlagi.com - The latest news about the development of Omicron cases in Indonesia is continuously updated by the government. Most recently, the Indonesian Ministry of Health stated that the total number of Omicron cases in Indonesia has reached one thousand. As of the latest data on January 26, 2022, there have been 1,755 cases.

This was conveyed by the Director of Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, in a scientific webinar with the Indonesian Pulmonologist Association (PDPI). According to the total number of cases, 831 cases were imported from overseas or commonly known as PPLN (Foreign Travelers).

Meanwhile, the remaining cases include 282 local transmissions and 48 cases with unknown causes. Furthermore, Nadia revealed that 147 Indonesian migrant workers who came from Saudi Arabia were affected by Omicron. Similarly, 127 Indonesian tourists who came from Turkey were reported to have been affected by Omicron.

The Majority of Omicron Patients Have Been Vaccinated and Show Mild Symptoms

Although the number of cases continues to rise, Dr. Nadia emphasized that the majority of Omicron patients have been vaccinated, resulting in relatively mild symptoms. The symptoms complained of by the patient only include cough and colds.

In addition, the government is also monitoring the first departure of umrah pilgrims. Especially after it was reported that there were around 10 umrah pilgrims identified as probable Omicron out of a total of 187 pilgrims who tested positive for Covid-19. That's why, Dr. Nadia representing the government urges the public not to travel abroad first, if they don't have urgent needs.

Frequent Nasal Washing is Suspected to Prevent Covid-19

Knowing the high number of Omicron cases that have occurred in Indonesia, of course, the implementation of health protocols must not be relaxed. Several effective steps, such as wearing masks, maintaining distance and avoiding crowds, washing hands with soap or hand sanitizer, avoiding poorly ventilated rooms, practicing cough or sneeze etiquette, and participating in the Covid-19 vaccination program, still need to be implemented until now.

In addition to implementing strict health protocols, recently there has also been viral information on social media, if frequent nasal washing is suspected to prevent Covid-19. So, is that information true?

Former Minister of Health, Dr. Achmad Sujudi MHA, as quoted from Antara, explained that nasal sanitizer or nasal cavity cleanser is needed to protect the respiratory tract. Even, according to him, washing the nasal cavity can kill the Corona virus.

Not without reason, so far the spread of Covid-19 is known through droplets that come out of the mouth or nose. By cleaning the nasal cavity or nose sanitizer, it can kill millions of viruses that are there while potentially infecting others when sprayed.

As for nose sanitizer or nasal washing, it is usually done using a special nasal washing device and NaCl solution. However, there is also a more practical nasal spray that only needs to be sprayed into the nose. Nasal spray is a liquid that usually contains NaCl and other ingredients. It is commonly used to rinse the nasal passages and restore moisture.

There is also a nasal spray that contains NaCl and natural substance iota carrageenan which is commonly used to treat the germs that cause colds and flu. When the nasal spray is sprayed into the nasal cavity, it forms a kind of barrier to coat the nasal cavity, so that germs or viruses that enter the nasal cavity cannot adhere there. In addition, for people with allergies, fever, and flu symptoms, washing the nasal cavity or using nasal spray is usually recommended by doctors.

The existence of several studies abroad regarding the use of nasal spray in the current Covid-19 pandemic should be utilized. And the use of nasal spray to clean the nasal cavity as an effort to tighten health protocols in the midst of this escalating Omicron case can be implemented.

(kly/tmi)