The new Coronavirus – Covid-19 is spreading fast and various health organizations and governments throughout the world are working on new plans to slow it down.
This is required as it gives enough time to scientists, researchers and pharmaceutical companies to better understand the Virus and come up with a cure for it.
For now, there is no known cure for the virus and the only thing that could be done is to educate ourselves and prevent spread of Coronavirus.
Various media houses are keeping track of new updates about the virus and is helping people understand more about the situation.
Media houses and health care institutes and organizations are working hard to educate people about the virus and how people can help prevent spread of Coronavirus.
Why you need to know about the Coronavirus?
The key element that can make a difference in the spread of a disease if for people to know about it and how they can prevent it from spreading into their communities.
Sometimes, like in the case of Coronavirus though there is no cure at present but knowing more about how to stop it from spreading, understanding its symptoms will help health organizations buy sometime to find cure for it.
Like any other diseases, spread of of fake news and unverified advice over the internet makes it difficult for health care organizations to fight against the disease.
As a responsible human being you can take care of yourself and your loved one along with your community by following some preventive measures which can help control virus spread and also keep you safe.
The best way to prevent yourself from Coronavirus is to avoid being exposed to it.
How to prevent spread of Coronavirus and protect yourself
The Coronavirus is thought to spread mainly from person to person by being in close proximity or by actual physical contact via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
These droplets can then land on surrounding surfaces, nearby people mouth, face, eyes etc and can eventually enter another person and make them infected.
For older people and people with serious underlying health problems, we recommend reaching out to your Doctor or medical practitioner for specific advice.
We cover some basic steps that people can take to protect themselves and limit Virus spread.
Handwashing – Regularly clean your hands
Hands are one of the key accelerator contributing in spread of germs – Bacteria and Viruses.
This is because we use our hands to touch our face, eyes, nose and mouth and also while eating touch our food.
Germs can therefore enter our body from various such places. As per health experts we tend to touch our faces many times throughout the day, mostly unknowingly.
The best method therefore would be to not touch your face but if we do it mostly unknowingly then how can we stop ourselves?
Therefore, the second alternative is to keep our hands clean.
Doctors and health care experts suggest that the best way to keep our hands clean is by using Soap and water to clean them for at-least 20 seconds.
This much of time is sufficient to kill most of the harmful germs from your hands. You should always wash your hands before –
- Using washroom
- After you have been to a public place
- After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
- Before eating food
- Before cooking food
- If you think you may have come in contact with a contaminated surface
In case you are travelling and do not have immediate access to soap and water then alcohol based hand sanitisers are your best bet.
However, in such case ensure that your hand sanitiser has more than 60% alcohol content to be effective.
To clean just take recommended amount of hand sanitiser onto your hand and rub it on your palms, back of the hands, between fingers until it dries up.
Usually hand sanitisers should take few seconds or so to dry. Do not rub the hand sanitiser off your hand with a cloth etc else you will loose the whole purpose of using it in the first place.
In case your hands are not clean then avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth and face until you wash clean your hands.
To prevent spread of Coronavirus, avoid close contact with other people who are sick
If you find someone who is sick then you need to avoid close contact with him. This will help you avoid contracting the virus.
If however you are a health care worker, a Doctor or a carer for sick person, you may need to take certain precaution such as wearing a mask in case the sick cannot wear the mask and disinfecting yourself regularly, you may also want to protect your eyes and may need an eye gear (in more specific cases) to keep yourself protected.
As added precaution you should also wear mask while taking care of a sick person to prevent yourself from catching Coronavirus.
This will ensure you can still care for the sick person and not spread the disease.
Disinfect the contaminated surfaces
If you are going to come in contact with a frequently used surface such as hand rails, desks etc which could be contaminated then you should clean your hands properly.
For frequently touched surfaces such as door knobs, light switch, kitchen counters etc, make sure they are cleaned with a disinfectant properly.
If the surfaces are visibly dirty then these must be cleaned with soap and water before using the disinfectant.
If you would like to use a disinfectant, follow manufacturer’s instructions as some of them might need dilution before use.
You can also use Alcohol based disinfectants, however ensure they have at-least 70% or more Alcohol content.
Stay at home if you are sick
Even though you take every precaution but still fall sick, then you need to self isolate yourself, contact emergency health services or your doctor for further advice.
Avoid coming in contact with other people and using tissues while coughing or sneezing.
Inform your work that you are sick and avoid appearing in office for work since you will get other people sick as well.
Avoid the use of public transport, ride shares or taxis. Inform your family and friends who may help you with food, groceries or getting in touch with the Doctor.
Strictly avoid going to public areas as this may cause infection to spread.
Also, to avoid spreading infection you should take care of personal hygiene and wash your hands regularly and do not share personal items with others.
Follow Social Distancing Rules and Avoid Crowds
In case you have to go out in public to purchase essential items or for some urgent work then you should practice social distancing and avoid going in a crowded place.
By maintaining social distance and avoiding crowded placed you lower your chances of catching Coronavirus.
Staying informed about the disease
Now this is obvious, but a very useful advice to help yourself and people around you.
You need to keep yourself and your known informed about the disease, its symptoms and prevention methods from known and legible websites.
For getting most up-to date information and advice about the virus such as Coronavirus is to regularly check reliable health organization portals such as – World Health Organization (WHO), Center for disease control and prevention (CDC) and your country specific health organizations such as NHS in UK.
You can also source information from credible media houses such as BBC in the UK, Times Of India in India, NyTimes in US, ABC News in Australia etc.
Bottom Line
The best thing that you as an individual can do to prevent the spread of Coronavirus is to stay informed on the development and any new medical advice.
Remember, it is every individuals responsibility to take necessary precautions to prevent spread of Coronavirus within community.
Practice basic hygiene and avoid forwarding messages around unproven theories related to the virus.
Lastly, stay at home unless it is extremely necessary for you to go out and if you do have to go out, don’t forget to wear a mask, maintain social distance and follow hygiene best practices.
