When it comes to safeguarding yourself and people around you against the new coronavirus strain, here are three practical, no-fuss methods.
As concerns develop about the new coronavirus strain (which causes the COVID-19 illness), it is vital to remain calm, acquire reliable information, and engage in ordinary sickness prevention procedures.
While the global coronavirus outbreak is indeed worrying, it is critical to highlight that COVID-19 causes little harm to healthy people.
Coronaviruses are a large category of common viruses that can cause the typical cold to a severe lower respiratory tract illness (like pneumonia).
Because we know that the new coronavirus strain spreads similarly to the flu, the best way to protect yourself is to adopt tried-and-true preventative strategies. Here are a few examples:
Handwashing
You’ve probably heard how important it is to wash your hands, especially after coughing, sneezing, or visiting public places. However, it cannot be overstated.
Scrubbing for 20 seconds with water and soap (singing the “Happy Birthday” song twice) can go a long way in protecting others and yourself. When you don’t have access to a sink, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and wipes can come in handy.
Other options you can take to protect everyone include covering your mouth while coughing or sneezing or sneezing and coughing into your elbow.
Distance your hands from your mouth, eyes and nose.
Limit your physical interaction with others (i.e., handshakes).
Cleaning surfaces that you touch on a daily basis.
Get your flu shot if you haven’t already and if you have an appointment at one of our locations.
Stay at Home
Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms include fever, cough, or shortness of breath and can range from a mild cough to severe pneumonia. Symptoms appear as soon as two days after exposure or as late as 14 days.
If you feel that you are sick, stay at home to protect those around you from being ill as well. If you think that you have COVID-19 symptoms, the first step is to contact your primary care doctor or a healthcare expert, get coronavirus testing and wait for the test to release. They can give treatment recommendations and, if necessary, contact government agencies.
Put on Your Mask
You’ve probably seen photographs of individuals using face masks to protect themselves in the news or on social media. While healthcare practitioners and first responders should only use surgical masks and N-95 masks, any mask can help minimize the transmission of coronavirus by shielding others.
While there is little evidence that says cloth or fabric masks protect against coronavirus, they do protect others from you.
Remember the proverb, “My mask protects you; your mask protects me.”
A mask can prevent the person wearing it from spreading possibly infectious droplets, which can spread when you breathe, talk, laugh, sigh, yawn, sneeze, or cough in public. When you put on a mask, you are less likely to collect droplets on public surfaces such as door handles, gas pumps, checkout screens, merchandise at the grocery store or pharmacy, public transportation, workplace phones, or anywhere else.
This can help keep patients from spreading sickness, even if they are asymptomatic but infected with the virus.
