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Gays Recite Miss Vanjie, Carol's Letter for COVID-19 Hand-Washing

Miss Vanjie

The internet unveiled more creative alternatives to the CDC's recommendation of humming "Happy Birthday."

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The World Health Organization has officially declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. As of Thursday, more than 130,000 people have tested positive for the virus, which has impacted over 100 nations and taken the lives of nearly 5,000 worldwide.

In addition to the "viral droplets" ejected from a sick person's cough, the strain of coronavirus is spread from touching one's face after coming into contact with an infected surface. This means that hand-washing has never been more important.

(Related: Gays Must Stop Cheek-Kissing During the Coronavirus Outbreak)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing one's hands for 20 seconds with soap and water, equating that amount of time to humming "Happy Birthday" twice. However, LGBTQ people -- who due to limited access to health care, high smoking rates, and other factors, are particularly at risk for contracting the virus -- have proposed their own creative alternatives to clocking sink time.

Users on social media have turned a poster from the United Kingdom's National Health Service on hand-washing into a meme, which substitutes instructions for various references to queer culture.

Examples include lines from the "Dearest" letter that Carol writes to her lover Therese, lyrics from Schitt's Creek's faux pop song "A Little Bit Alexis," and the infamous repetition of "Miss Vanjie" from RuPaul's Drag Race. Even Phyllis Nagy, Carol's screenwriter, approved.

Review the memes (as well as the original poster) below. And don't forget to wash your hands. Miss Vanjie!

NHS

Miss Vanjie

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Daniel Reynolds

Daniel Reynolds is the editor of social media for The Advocate. A native of New Jersey, he writes about entertainment, health, and politics.
Daniel Reynolds is the editor of social media for The Advocate. A native of New Jersey, he writes about entertainment, health, and politics.