A: No. If you’re still doing this, you can safely quit this labor-intensive process! Just keep your hands clean.
COVID-19 is spread via droplets in the air. Focus on cutting down on sharing air with people outside your household by keeping a generous physical distance, wearing masks, getting fresh air, limiting your contacts, and keeping your interactions short–especially if you’re not yet vaccinated.
There is evidence that SARS-CoV-2 lives for some time on surfaces, but this is not a likely route for it to infect you. Virus present on surfaces–including groceries, secondhand clothing, or any other object–must be concentrated *and* make contact with your mucous membranes to infect you.
That is to say, virus on a surface needs a way into your body. The most likely route from a surface into your nose or mouth is your hands. Wash your hands often with soap and sanitize when you are not near water. And… don’t pick your nose.
One object you should sanitize often is your phone. It comes into frequent close contact with your face. Use an alcohol-based sanitizer.
CDC updates COVID-19 transmission webpage to clarify information about types of spread
