Paper towels may remove virus missed by poor hand washing.

WHO advice and a research publication show that using paper towels are substantially effective at removing the virus that survived during handwashing.

Researchers led by Ines Moura of the University of Leeds, UK, had conducted a study on hand drying method, beyond the toilet/ washroom to the hospital environment. They found that using paper towels are more effective than jet dryers for removing virus/ microbes that remain on contaminated hands even after washing. They concluded that the use of paper towels reduced pathogen transmission.

The United Nations Children's Fund in its FAQ section on precautions to be taken against COVID-19 said that germs can spread more easily from wet skin than from dry skin, so using paper towels or clean clothes are the most effective way to remove germs without spreading them to other surfaces.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention had also recommended that the tissues, paper towels, cleaners and disinfectants should be used for cleaning the surfaces daily in household common areas like tables, hard-backed chairs, doorknobs and light switches etc.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.