[dominostars]

I’m fairly certain information like this or similar was communicated very early on in the pandemic. A lot of people I know were sanitizing things from the grocery store for the first few weeks but then it quickly spread that surface transmission was very rare so everyone stopped.

[brundolf]

We've continued cleaning deliveries just to be double-safe, but yes I got this rough impression fairly early on. Glad to see it confirmed with more data.

[approxim8ion]

Yeah, same. It's kind of become a mindset now, and the way I see it, the habit is a net positive so I will likely retain it for years to come.

[spoonjim]

Using the same time to just lift a small weight or do a few squats in place will probably have 1000x the benefit in Quality Adjusted Life Years.

[hyko]

Yeah, an extra fifty minutes of life instead of an extra three seconds.

[triceratops]

Put the grocery bags on the floor, squat down to clean them. Two birds, one stone.

[turing_complete]

Opportunity cost. Keep in mind that those conditional probabilities multiply:

Surface has been contaminated * chance of transmission * chance of dying

All three are (for most people here) similarly small numbers. Do you want to spend your time doing something that can save you with probability < 1/(10^15)?

[HWR_14]

I don't know why "chance of dying" is there. Long-term damage is a possibility. Hell, even having a fever for 3 days is a real (but much lower than death) cost. I'm not worried about the fever, but I am worried about lung, brain or heart damage.

[baud147258]

I think the idea is that you're cleaning not just Covid-19, but also any other kind of contaminant

[1_player]

There is bacteria everywhere in your house, on your skin, inside of you, on every single surface on planet Earth.

The idea was to keep Covid out, any other contaminant you think you're getting rid of has already breached your security. In fact, bactericide usage will select for stronger and more resistant bacteria.

What you need is a clean room, otherwise it's a futile exercise.

[sokoloff]

People largely weren’t doing this 18 months ago and many started doing it around 12 months ago; what changed their mind?

[jjk166]

Common diseases like the flu were always unpleasant, but you especially don't want to get them during a pandemic. I'm sure a lot of us started sanitizing surfaces when it was believed that's how covid spread, but it's been really nice not getting sick for a year now and I for one will keep doing so long after the pandemic is over.

[elisaado]

Care to tell me how it is a net positive? What kind of germs/virussus are you cleaning off that you wouldn't have come in contact with in the grocery store itself?

[approxim8ion]

I was mostly talking about deliveries, but fair point.

[bartvk]

A net positive in what sense? What is positive about it?

[brundolf]

Oh I definitely won't be doing it any more once I'm fully vaccinated. I just like to be one or two levels of precaution above the common advice because getting long-COVID and potentially ruining my life at 29 is one of my worst nightmares right now.

[cm2187]

I am not sure that's true. In fact applying hydroalcoholic gels regularly is still recommended and often mandatory in many places (I was not allowed in at my dentist last week if I did not use it).

[alkonaut]

I don't know (or heard about) anyone who wiped down a cereal box or similar in the last year. This probably varies by country and the communication that was there early last year.

[HWR_14]

I haven't wiped down anything shelf-stable in the last year, but Fauci said early on he throws packages in the corner for 3 days before touching them. It costs little for me to follow that rule, so I just buy cereal when I still have at least 3 days worth.