As the world struggles to find a cure for the deadly Covid-19, medical experts and doctors are advising the masses to wash their hands regularly as it provides the best protection against the virus. The Coronavirus epidemic has so far, claimed more than 3,800 lives and infected nearly 110,000 people across the globe.
However, washing your hands with regular soap and water is not enough to get rid off the microbes. Therefore, two Israeli companies have teamed up to make washing of hands 100 percent effective not only in preventing the virus from spreading but also killing it entirely, without using harsh chemicals like bleach.
Recipe to kill coronavirus: Soapy and a plant-based product
Here's how it works. Soapy is a hygiene micro-station, which is already being used in several countries around the world. The machine essentially provides an optimal amount of water obtained from the atmosphere and soap for a 20-second hand-washing experience. A computer vision interface also verifies whether one has washed their hands properly.
The Soapy hand-washing stations will now dispense soap with the inclusion of a plant-derived substance that has proven to kill viruses that are more resistant than the deadly coronavirus. "Our team was looking to develop the best sequence to disinfect viral residues on hands," Soapy CEO Max Simonovsky told ISRAEL21c.
Simonovsky's company joined hands with plant virology research scientist Aviv Dombrovsky, who sourced the ingredient for his plant-based product from another Israeli company called Green Life. "I simply put the two companies together. Soapy has the machine and Green Life has the reagent," Dombrovsky noted.
Is it effective?
In December, before the coronavirus outbreak, the biodegradable Green Life product was used in Soapy's formulation to check whether it could destroy pathogens such as tobamovirus on hands. The tobamovirus is highly resistant, can survive even in high temperatures, remains on surfaces for more than a year, and like coronavirus, it spreads through contact.
"Because it is so strong, we use tobamovirus as a model to test antivirals," Dombrovsky explained. "If something can inactivate tobamovirus, it can inactivate a range of human viruses including coronavirus." The recently released results found Soapy's machine and Green Life's reagent to be 100 percent effective in 72 samples.
"You'll have the recommended 20 seconds of handwashing and also the right amount of the right reagent, the right amount of water at the right temperature, and feedback at point of use that everything was done properly," said Simonovsky.
The machine and the reagent can be purchased from the Soapy website for a discounted price of $249. The company ships across the globe via its monthly subscription package.
