A California health official licked her finger shortly after she warned residents in her community to not touch their faces to best avoid coronavirus infection.

It was obvious in video footage of Dr. Sara Cody's announcement last week that she had no idea that she had not taken her own advice on how people can stop the deadly, flu-like infection from spreading.

'Today, start working on not touching your face — because one main way viruses spread is when you touch your own mouth, nose, or eyes,' Cody, director of Santa Clara County's Public Health Department says, at a press conference on Friday.

A California health official licked her finger shortly after she warned residents in her community to not touch their faces to best avoid coronavirus infection

Dr. Sara Cody, director of Santa Clara County's Public Health Department in California warned residents in her community during a press conference last week to not touch their faces to best avoid coronavirus infection, before she suddenly forgot her own advice

About a minute later she licks her finger to turn a page from the notes she was reading from.

The finger-lick went largely unnoticed until the footage went viral days later amid similar warnings from health officials around the world.

It also was proof of how difficult it is for one not to touch their face, even after being told not to by someone else.

California's Santa Clara County has been grappling with 11 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, reports BuzzFeed.

Research has found that people touch their faces an average of 23 times every hour.

Cody can be heard in the footage saying, ''Today, start working on not touching your face — because one main way viruses spread is when you touch your own mouth, nose, or eyes'

US President Donald Trump touches his face on Monday while leading a meeting with the White House Coronavirus Task Force and pharmaceutical executives in the Cabinet Room on Monday. He joked two days later that he has not touched his face amid coronavirus concerns

That includes mostly direct contact with eyes, the mouth and nose - all entry points into the body, according to a 2015 study published by National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Other strong preventive measures against the virus are washing your hands, covering your cough, and staying home when sick, say public health officials.

'We're always saying the common sense of washing your hands, not touching your face, ensuring that if you touch anything, you wash your hands again,' Dr. Debbie Birx, the White House's response coordinator for the coronavirus, told reporters on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump, also speaking to reporters with Birx, joked, 'I haven't touched my face in weeks. It's been weeks. I miss it.'

The president made the comment although he was photographed touching face during a meeting with the pharmaceutical executives on Monday.