If you are losing sleep with worry that the fruit and vegetables you buy might a source of coronavirus infection, rinse them in water fortified with a sterilising tablet – and watch in marvel as your lettuce remains fresh for longer. 

The tip was one of the pieces of advice which Michael Borg, who heads Mater Dei Hospital’s infectious diseases unit, gave during an online question-and-answer session on Monday morning.  

But before you rush to buy baby bottle sterilising tablets, keep in mind that fresh produce – or even that can of peas you bought from the supermarket – is highly unlikely to be a source of infection. 

Here are the questions the professor answered on Monday.

1. Why have only two people recovered from COVID-19 so far?

Patients are tested 14 days after they exhibit symptoms, as per WHO guidelines. But in many cases, the virus lasts longer inside a person’s body, and Borg said that was the case here. 

2. Can I get infected from touching money? 

There is a chance of infection through touching money, but it is a very low risk. If you want to guard against this risk, minimise your use of cash during these weeks and use a contactless credit or debit card to pay, and practice good hand hygiene. 

There are two primary forms of infection: close face-to-face contact with an infected person or through contact with a surface which an infected person has recently coughed or sneezed onto. 

Do not trust videos or articles you see online suggesting the virus spreads in the air or lasts for days on end on surfaces: these videos do not mimic real-life conditions, which make such situations. 

3. I heard that the virus struggles to cope with high humidity. Is this true and should I buy a humidifier? 

Preliminary research suggests this might be the case, though more work needs to be done to ascertain this. Indications are, however, that the virus lasts less in warm and humid environments. But this is of more relevance to national climates, rather than individual households. 

4. Some countries fine people if they do not wear masks. So why are you saying we should not wear masks? 

Borg had said, during a previous Q&A, that people should avoid wearing masks as they were often not needed and generally tended to make people touch their faces even more than usual. 

In Dubai, authorities are fining people if they do not wear masks, the professor acknowledged – but only if they are already exhibiting symptoms. 

Here in Malta, authorities are telling anyone with symptoms to stay at home and not go out at all. It bears repeating - if you are coughing or sneezing, dial 111 and do not leave home. 

5. Can I use my air conditioner? 

Yes, provided your AC filter is regularly cleaned using soap and water.  

6. Can you get COVID-19 from fruit or jars of food?  

There is a minute chance of infection, if an infected person has been in contact with the items. To get rid of that chance, wash your hands as soon as you return home and wipe down your groceries.

If you want to sterilise them, you can use tablets used to sterilise baby bottles. There is a benefit to this: vegetables like lettuce will remain fresh for longer, as you will have rid them of any microbes. 

Correction March 30: The coronavirus appears to survive less, not longer, in humid conditions.