Phase 2 of post-Circuit Breaker measures has begun in Singapore. As we venture out of #WorkFromHome & #HomeBasedLearning to meet more people and visit more places, here’s a good hand sanitiser that is not only effective but allows you to enjoy prolonged protection without any skin irritation.
* This story was first published in Haleness Me.

There are so many sanitisers out there in the market, what are the characteristics to look out for when choosing a good sanitiser?
There are many sanitisers available out there – how should we select one that will fulfill the task of protecting us from COVID-19, over an extended period of time?
When it comes to skin sanitisers, who better to get advice from than a skin specialist?
This was what I learned from Dr Coni Liu, a consultant dermatologist from DS Skin Clinic in Singapore.
Out of Circuit Breaker Back to Normalcy
Although Singapore has done well to break the COVID-19 infection chain via the Circuit Breaker, now as we venture out of #WorkFromHome and begin going places and meeting more people physically, many of us are looking for a good hand sanitiser to better protect ourselves and our loved ones.
Phase 2 of our post-Circuit Breaker normalisation has just begun.
We will need to maintain a multi-pronged regime to protect ourselves from COVID-19, namely mask-wearing, social distancing, hand-washing, and sanitising our hands.
A good hand sanitiser will be a key element to keep our hands free of SARS-COV-2: the virus that causes COVID-19.
Firstly, the sanitiser must be effective, not only against the SARS-COV-2 but against most pathogens that we encounter on a daily basis.
After all, that’s why we are applying a hand sanitiser right?
Generally, there are two types of hand sanitisers – alcohol-based and non-alcohol based.
The alcohol-based sanitisers are more effective and fast-acting, while the non-alcohol based sanitisers are generally less effective and slow-acting – more suitable for object surfaces rather than the skin.
Secondly, it must be kind to the skin.
Many alcohol-based sanitisers are effective but tend to be dehydrating and harsh to the skin.
Thirdly, you need one that lasts over a longer period of time, to increase the effectiveness against germs, and to reduce the need for frequent application.
This will better protect one’s skin against the damaging effects of the sanitiser and neutralise the adverse effects of the alcohol content which is necessary for killing the germs.

Dr Coni Liu, Consultant Dermatologist at DS Skin & Wellness Clinic.
Therefore, the perfect sanitizer would be highly-effective, long-lasting, and would have a formulation which protects and moisturises the skin.
Looking at the sanitisers available in the market, they’re either alcohol-based and effective in killing germs but are unkind to our skins – or they’re non-alcohol-based but are less effective and slow acting.
Apparently that was the dilemma that Dr Liu faced when her patients asked her to recommend a good hand sanitizer that satisfied these requirements.
And guess what, she and her fellow dermatologists highlighted this problem to their boss – Dr Henry Loh – and he commissioned DS Skin Clinic’s in-house scientist Dr Richard Seow to develop a hand sanitiser that met all these needs.
To cut a long story short, after an extensive but rapid local research and development effort, DS Skin Clinic has come up with a hand sanitiser that immediately kills 99.99% of most household germs, including the SARS-COV-2 virus; lasts for 24 hours; and which is gentle to the skin through the inclusion of an emollient oil.
The DS Skin Clinic All-Day Hand Sanitizer was just launched two days ago – just in time for Phase 2 of the post-CB measures.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Read the details about the hand sanitiser below from the press release.
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Tech Focus: Making it Safe to Live and Work in Endemic COVID
Wednesday, March 30th, 2022The world is coming to terms with having to live with COVID-19 for a while to come. Apart from population-level vaccination to enhance our resistance against the disease, how can we make our living and working environment safer from the SARS-COV-2 virus that causes the disease?
Jitender Khurana shares how UVC disinfection technology provides an effective means of sanitising the air and surfaces around us in an efficient and sustainable way. Most importantly, it can be implemented at scale without breaking the bank! Jitender Khurana is the Country Head & Managing Director for Singapore and Emerging Markets, Southeast Asia at Signify.
When will life go back to what it was like in pre-pandemic days? Will it ever? Image: Signify.
After more than two years and six million deaths globally, the world is still reeling from the humanitarian and economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SARS-COV-2 virus has infected almost half a billion people around the world to date, and continues to cause more than a million new cases of COVID-19 every day.
However, the pandemic shows no sign of slowing down, following the scourge of the Delta variant which swept across the earth, as well as the current Omicron variant.
“For true endemic living, I want to be able to attend concerts, work out at a gym, watch an indoor sports event and visit a public bathroom knowing that the air I’m breathing is safe from the SARS-COV-2 virus. All these aspirations can be fulfilled through air disinfection solutions harnessing UV-C technology – in conjunction with wearing masks, social distancing and vaccination.”
Even though no end is in sight for the pandemic, life and business must go on. Governments and companies need a solution that will provide employees and citizens with a safe working and public environment that is protected from COVID-19.
Like it or not, COVID-19 is not going away and all of us will have to learn how to live, work and play while the SARS-COV-2 virus hangs around us and the disease becomes endemic.
Welcome to the new normal of “Endemic Living”.
The silver lining in the cloud is that we have learnt much since the beginning of the pandemic – about the disease itself, the virus that causes it, the way it spreads, the safety measures and practices that would protect us from infection.
I believe we are ready to embark on this new phase of the pandemic, because we are equipped with the know-how and wherewithal to live safely and normally despite COVID-19. We now know that the reason COVID-19 is so contagious is that it can be transmitted over the air.
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Tags:commentary, COVID, endemic, opinion, Signify, Tech Focus, technology, UV, UVC
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