Hey Healthy Life Achievers, you are once more welcome to your amazing website and today we shall be looking at some ways we can prevent our most recent and scary pandemic the covid-19. Like we said in our previous article, treatment of covid-19 is mainly based on supportive care and since the WHO and CDC haven’t declared any cure for this deadly pandemic, we shall focus more on hygiene. You may wish to visit our previous article on the basics of hygiene.
The hygienic aspects as far as this pandemic is concerned shall be dealt in two phases: How to protect yourself to avoid contamination with the disease and ways to protect others if you are a victim of this virus.
How to protect yourself:
1) Wash your hands.
One way to protect yourself is to wash your hands. Wash your hands often with soap and water or use a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer in the absence of soaps.
Like oil, grease, and dirt, so do the lipid bilayer envelope of most viruses as well as that of COVID-19 virus easily embedded by the long hydrophobic (water repellant but fats loving) hydrocarbon chain of soaps. Properly washing your hands with soap and water as you agitate the water clears off viruses from the surfaces of your hands.
Moreover, secure a well disinfected white piece of cloth or towel to properly dry clean your hands after washing. These prevent you from using the cloths you wear to wipe your hands after washing, thereby inhibiting re contamination if those cloths possess infected droplets.
2) Social distancing.
Like the WHO and CDC, Your Healthy Life (YHL) advises you to apply social distancing when you find yourself with other people, in a crowd or in gatherings. It is recommended to keep a distance of 6 feet (say 2meters) from each individual.
This is because droplets containing the virus are known to travel short distances below the given range from person to person. You may breathe in the droplets of the cough or sneezes from an infected person closer to you.
Social distancing also warrants you to avoid hugging, shaking hands with another person as these activities bring people so close to each other.
3) Steer clear from your T-zone area.
Your T-zone area consists of your eyes, nose, and mouth. It is highly advisable you avoid touching this area since it serves a potent route for the passage of these viruses into your body.
When your hands come in contact with infected surfaces or individuals, they become contaminated and as you touch your T-zone area, you expose these viruses to your mucus membrane which later inhabit the cytoplasm to make more copies of themselves before heading to the lungs to execute their deadly mission.
4) Wear a face mask.
The N95 mask prevents 95% of germs and other dirt particles from getting in through the mouth and it is recommended to put them on alongside your gloves when caring for people infected by the virus. Otherwise, you may avoid putting on a mask if you are healthy.
5) Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces.
High touched surfaces are those that are most frequently in contact with our hands and include keyboards, phones, mouse, doorknobs, handles, light switches, tables, desks, etc. These surfaces are requested to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected to remove and kill germs respectively.
It is worth nothing that cleaning does not kill germs but reduces their numbers. Using soaps or detergents and water may properly keep these surfaces clean. A dry soft piece of cloth can be used to clean screens and electronic devices like phones and keyboards.
Disinfecting using chemicals serves the purpose to kill germs on these surfaces. However, it doesn’t keep dirty surfaces clean.
Thus cleaning and disinfecting go a long way to reduce the number of these viruses on surfaces of objects. Some common disinfectants recommended by CDC and YHL include EPA-registered household disinfectants, household bleached solutions, 70% alcoholic solutions. Also, expect some details of these disinfectants in our upcoming review.
6) Self-quarantine.
This implies abstaining from contact with other individuals for a period of about 14 days usually during an outbreak of disease by staying indoors. Self-quarantine is one of the most effective ways of reducing the spreadability (Ro) of this pandemic as clearly demonstrated by China who used to have massive fatal cases but not anymore.
As a healthy individual, self-quarantine limits your exposure to infected individuals as well as super spreaders out there. You should also limit your traveling rate to avoid yourself from exposure. This is also highly recommended for folks who are immunosuppressed and highly prone to this viral infection.
How to protect others when you are sick.
You are advised to apply the following procedures if you find yourself infected by this virus or caught with fever (38°C), cough and shortage of breath:
1) Self-quarantine.
Stay at home and you may however only go out to seek medical attention. And before going to the hospital you are required to call your physician in advance so that you don’t surprisingly get others infected.
Avoid going to work, school or anywhere there is a group of people. Moreover, stay away from public transport, ride-sharing or taxis.
This is because infected droplets can be transmitted from you to healthy persons around you as you cough or sneeze thereby increasing its spreadability.
2) Stay away from others while at home.
Individuals who are carrying the virus are requested to stay away from family members and other neighborhoods while at home. These careers are advised to stay in a different well-ventilated room with doors usually closed to avoid the spread of droplets to nearby and passerby people.
Infected people should also use a separate bathroom. In case there is a single bathroom, that bathroom should be properly cleaned and disinfected at all times before and after usage.
3) Stay away from pets:
Don’t allow pets or other animals to come close to you if you are sick.
This is because these animals may transmit this virus to healthy individuals who may later touch them, use their contaminated hands to touch their T-zone areas thereby getting infected.
However, if you wish to take care of your pets, wear a medical mask, wash your hands properly before touching them. Better still, you may employ someone to do so.
4) Wear a face mask.
Patients are recommended to put on a medical mask while around some individuals.
This mask serves to keep droplets within when the patient coughs or sneezes hence preventing contaminated droplets from spilling upon the face of healthy people.
Those caring for patients should also wear an N95 mask to prevent themselves from these droplets.
5) Avoid touching high touched surfaces.
Patients or careers of this deadly virus are requested to stay away from objects our hands are frequently in contact with, particularly our phones and doorknobs. Droplets may fall on these surfaces or objects carrying viral particles which may later contaminate healthy people in the nearby future thus increasing spreadability.
6) Use a tissue or your elbow.
For those who are sick, the WHO, CDC, and YHL recommend you use a clean tissue to cover your nose and mouth during sneezing and coughing to protect contaminated droplets from splashing away as this prevents healthy people around. These used tissues should immediately be disposed of.
You may use your elbow to cover your nose and mouth during this activity. Also, clean your hands properly with soap and water to eradicate the virus on your hands’ surfaces.
There are many ways we can implement to reduce the spread of covid-19, however, implementing the above-mentioned ways will go a long way to decline the spreadability and hence the case fatality rate of this deadly virus. For it is part of our mission to make sure our entire community and the globe at large now have the most current knowledge on cases that may pose detrimental effects, like this recent pandemic, on our healthy life.
Haven read our works and this article we recommend you keep your opinion, suggestions, and ideas about our company and this article in the comment box below. Thanks.
Akon.
As the cure for this dreadful virus seems hard to get, you just exposed the available cure that should be exploited by mankind in this article. It has confirmed and reaffirmed the assertion that prevention is better than cure. Thanks sir
Exactly sir, you just said it all. We have to do our best to stay safe by preventing this tiny virus from reaching us. Everything is possible sir. We can do it.
Thanks for your inspiration.
Another beautiful piece sir. This has given answers to many of my worries. Highly educative, thank you Sir.
You are most welcome Madam, Your Healthy Life is willing to offer you the best information you so desire. For it is our job to make sure we bring smiles to the faces of many out there when health is concerned. Let’s reinforce our hygiene and stay safe.
Thank you.
Hey, I learn a lot while reading your guide on the prevention from covid 19. It is very helpful for everyone. I will firstly spread this post with my friends as well as on social media. Every government is spreading awareness regarding covid 19 in every way possible but your tips also plays an awesome role to make every life healthy. Hope it will help many people like me.
We appreciate your concern and that for humanity Parveen. Please keep sharing as we all do our utmost best to reduce the spreadability of this pandemic.
I am very sure it will help. Basic hygiene and self-quarantine as well as practicing social distancing works like magic.
Akon, thank you for putting a well formulated article. The article is easy to understand and the steps are very clear. You have highlighted the importance of preventing the spread of the virus and ways to minimise getting infected yourself. I feel if all of us take these steps seriously we will defeat this virus. I also like that you show the effectiveness of these preventive methods by mentioning that they have worked in China where it started.
While we are waiting for vaccine to be available, you have reaffirmed that prevention is what we should be practising to protect ourself from coronavirus. It is great to remind ourself about hygiene practises again and again to help prevent spread of this highly contagious virus. Thank you for putting this together.
You are most welcome Pranali. Actually we have to implement these measures in order to reduce its spread. If our hospitals have many cases to treat, the physicians and health workers will be more at risk and if the majority of these experts are infected then our human race may be subjected to limbo. The WHO’s Chief boss said that this is not the time for our government to be telling us what to do and that our lives lie in our hands. We should take all precautionary measures to protect ourselves from this deadly virus.
Thanks again for your wisdom and hope we have more inpiration from you.
While we are waiting for vaccine to be available, you have reaffirmed that prevention is what we should be practising to protect ourself from coronavirus. It is great to remind ourself about hygiene practises again and again to help prevent spread of this highly contagious virus. Thank you for putting this together.
Hi, Akon,
This pandemic has gotten out of control. Not only has it disrupted the economy but our lifestyle as well.
I think it’s important to take all the precautionary actions we can to avoid getting the disease or pass it on to others.
They recommend washing your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds at a time. You can sing while you do it.
It’s incredible that bleach, Lysol, and disinfecting wipes are nowhere to be found! I had been looking for them and I was finally able to buy some wipes today at Sam’s.
They also say we can use vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to disinfect. It’s a great alternative to wipes and hand sanitizer.
What they say is the most critical is social distancing. Whole cities are under confinement to avoid the spread of the virus.
We don’t know how long it will take for everything to go back to normal, but I hope soon.
Thanks for sharing.
It is really a call for concern Enrique especially when demand seems to exceed supply as this pandemic continues to drain down the globe’s economy. However, one thing is certain and that as China is experiencing a lower case fatality rate, I am very sure that if these hygienic and other precautionary methods are fully implemented things will our world will assume its normalcy. And when experts finally get us a vaccine or cure, then fear shall find us no more.
Many thank sir, for your excellent information.
Very important and rich write-up. Covid-19 is a current pandemic that needs every individual’s participation irrespective of race, location or culture. We should be responsible and active to stop the spread through responsible behavior. This includes: hand hygiene(soap wash and/hand sanitizer), use of face mask when working with high risk persons, stop unnecessary movements, social distancing, avoid touching the face( mouth, nostrils are the principal portal of entry), call the emergency number of your country in case of symptoms of suspected cases, stay at home, privilege use of social media to communicate to social gatherings. These are a few among many which are situational. Let’s stay responsible to combat this covid pandemic.
Excellent contributions Dr. Sako. And like what the WHO’s Bosses clearly state in their last meeting, we should avoid physical contact and avoiding this doesn’t necessarily mean we should avoid social contact because we can socialize in diverse ways due to the advancement of technology. Nonetheless, we actually need this social contact (as we fight so hard not to make it physical) to as well free us from mental illness and stress.
Thank you, Doctor, for your inspiration and our readers will surely appreciate your advice as we all quell down this pandemic.
The fact that i have come to learn something tangible from this post is satisfying. The make of your website is nice and the simplicity of the color selection makes it beautiful. great tips you have given hear. i would like to share this article with some of my friends. thank you very much.