Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said all hand sanitisers would go through certain classifications which contain chemicals that were sufficient enough to eliminate the virus.

Speaking to FMT, Lee also noted that hand sanitisers were cost-effective and could be used as an alternative as soap and running water were not as easily available in public places.

“Hand sanitisers are definitely still a practical solution. There might be some potential allergic reaction if the liquid comes into contact with your eye or mouth, but as long as you have good hygiene practices by not touching your face and mouth, it will be okay,” he said.

Lee said non-alcohol hand sanitisers would just be as effective if some complain that using alcohol-based hand sanitisers lead them to have dry, cracked and painful hands.

“A non-alcohol-based hand sanitiser which contains sodium hypochlorite is enough to kill the virus,” he said.

Asked if bacteria could adapt and be resistant once hand sanitisers are overused, Lee said ‘no’ as the main purpose is to directly kill all bacteria, eliminating the possibility of it being present in the hands.

Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Koh Kar Chai said hand sanitisers were recommended as they had the ability to inactivate coronaviruses.

However, Koh said washing the hands with soap and water was still the best as it would remove any possible contamination by the virus.

“But this may not be practical to do so at every instance. Hence, we should always have a hand sanitising liquid on hand,” he told FMT.

He also agreed that there should not be any worry of antimicrobial resistance in the use of hand sanitisers in the control of the Covid-19 infection.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST DATA ON THE COVID-19 SITUATION IN MALAYSIA