COVID-19 Update at DOST-ITDI

Keep your hands clean and keep the virus away!

Indeed, keeping your hands clean is critically important especially in this time of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Washing your hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly is the best way to keep your hands clean. When water and soap are not available however, one convenient way to keep your hands clean is by using hand sanitizer. It kills 99.9% of bacteria as fast as 15 seconds after application and can prevent the spread of bacteria and certain viruses.

Hand sanitizers work by stripping away the outer layer of oil on the skin thereby preventing bacteria and certain viruses from coming or lodging onto the surface of the hand. It is recommended to use sanitizers before eating or after touching anything that might be contaminated like door handles, hand rails, or table surfaces.

But with the current scarcity of resources particularly of alcohol and hand sanitizers in supermarkets and pharmacies, not to mention that most of us can hardly get out of our homes due to the ongoing enhanced community quarantine, you do have a problem at hand.

Not to worry though, for the DOST-ITDI has in the offing, a solution from its R&D arsenal, a process for making hand sanitizer.

For your convenience and right from your own homes, you can check out DOST-ITDI's Hand Sanitizer Instructional Module and follow the link in our official Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ITDIDOSTUpdates/videos/677353449676867/.

Yes, DOST-ITDI has prepared and uploaded this step-by-step instructional video for everyone. You just need distilled water and such chemicals as carbopol, triethanolamine (TEA), propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, and if preferred, a perfume or scent. A list of authorized chemical suppliers is also provided.

For your safety however, it is advisable to follow this module with a licensed chemist, chemical engineer, or pharmacist.

For more information, you may contact our experts at the Pharmaceuticals Section of ITDI’s Chemicals and Energy Division (CED) via DOST Trunkline (02) 8837-2071 local 2216 or 2226. You may also message them via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ceditdi.

Please visit also the ITDI Facebook page, DOST ITDI Updates and Youtube channel or email our Director, Dr. Annabelle V. Briones, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. (

Reginald Roy U. dela Cruz // ITDI S&T Media Service)