The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) revealed on Wednesday that the pandemic fears are still running high after more than a year of public health exhortations and 168m doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

The public health officials and vaccine makers acknowledge that the hygiene products have not been shown to prevent disease transmission. The masking and social distancing are not supported by randomized controlled trials and have not ended the pandemic, added AAPS.

Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) updated guidance on disinfecting surfaces, there is little scientific support for routine use of disinfectants in community settings, whether indoor or outdoor, to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission from fomites.

In a Bangladeshi randomized controlled trial with 606 subjects, the use of 1% povidone iodine in eye/nose drops and mouth gargle reduced COVID-19 hospitalizations by 84% and mortality by 88%, notes AAPS.

Both Israel and New Zealand have approved the use of a nitric oxide nasal spray that helps prevent COVID infection and transmission. It will be sold over the counter. A randomized controlled trial in confirmed COVID cases in the UK showed that the nasal spray reduced the viral load by 95% in the first 24 hours and 99% within 72 hours, concluded AAPS.