Chlorhexidine is effective against SARS-COV-2

Healthcare professionals and hospital settings face the highest risk in COVID-19 times and they require disinfectants to minimize the viral load.

Various disinfectants like Chlorhexidine, Povidone-iodine, Sodium hypochlorite, Ethanol etc have been in use for many decades. Many have been tested against the viruses including SARS-COV and SARS-COV-2.

However, a notion among the healthcare workers in COVID-19 times has been that Chlorhexidine is not effective or less effective against the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). 

But when I did a critical analysis of all the studies available on PUBMED on "The effect of Chlorhexidine gluconate solution on inactivating novel coronavirus," it showed a completely different picture. It showed that there is not a single study, which has mentioned that Chlorhexidine is ineffective against the novel coronavirus. 

Moreover, all the earlier studies had two features:

1. They tested Chlorhexidine gluconate at a very low concentration of 0.01 - 0.02%. 

2. They tested Chlorhexidine against other viruses and not against the novel coronavirus.

When the researchers of a new study (done by the Hong Kong University published in The Lancet Microbe in April 2020) tested Chlorhexidine at a slightly higher (0.05%) concentration, they found it to be as effective as 7.5% povidone-iodine or 70% ethyl alcohol. 

This means that Chlorhexidine definitely acts against the novel coronavirus, and its action is concentration-dependent.

Currently, there is a shortfall of disinfectants, yet many healthcare providers are not using Chlorhexidine because of 

1. Misinterpretation of earlier evidence.

2. Disregarding the latest evidence.

Therefore, we must look into the current evidence and apply in the day-to-day practice. I have attached a link to my research, which analyses the entire literature.

Please feel free to go to my Researchgate account and download the PDF

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340950181_Chlorhexidine_gluconate_is_effective_against_the_novel_coronavirus_other_viruses