COVID-19 is spreading around the world like a wildfire and people are scrambling to keep it contained. The World Health Organization has already declared it a pandemic. Social and economic life is grinding to a halt around the world as governments struggle to keep their populations quarantined. They hope to strangle the pandemic by limiting the spread of the virus. If medical experts are to be believed, the coronavirus threat could fizzle out in a few months.

 

Protective Measures Against New Coronavirus

Even though governments and health organizations are enacting protocols to protect their people from Covid-19, the average individual is still expected to take preventative measures to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. That includes the following:

✔ Washing Hands

Everyone should nurture a habit of washing their hands. Use soap and water. If you don’t have access to soap and water, get some alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Soap and water, and alcohol-based hand sanitizers can kill the virus in your hands. Do this whenever you come into contact with people and surfaces of any kind. There is no telling where you might encounter the virus. You are better off taking the cautious route by washing your hands every chance you get.

✔ Keeping Distance

The term ‘social distancing’ has become quite common as of late. It means keeping your distance from coughing and sneezing people. A cough or a sneeze normally leads to the ejection of small droplets from the nose and mouth. If the person sneezing or coughing has COVID-19, those droplets could spread the coronavirus to you. Stay at least one meter away from such individuals to safeguard your health.

✔ Avoiding Eyes, Nose, and Mouth

People are always touching their faces, especially the eyes, nose, and mouth. If your hands have been contaminated by the coronavirus, you could introduce it into your system via the eyes, nose, and mouth. This is why you are encouraged to wash your hands whenever you touch people and potentially contaminated surfaces. If your hands have been stripped clean of the virus, then touching your face won’t pose as much of a threat. Though, seeing as you can’t wash your hands every time you touch a surface, it is better to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

✔ Covering Your Sneezes

This goes without saying. Don’t just cough or sneeze into the air. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. If you don’t have one, bury your face in your bent elbow. The goal is to keep the droplets spewing out of your mouth whenever you cough and sneeze contained. Once you sneeze into a tissue, throw it away.

✔ Getting Help

Seek medical attention the moment you start feeling unwell. COVID-19 is dangerous because its symptoms are similar to those of the flu. As such, people that have the virus don’t realize that they have contracted COVID-19 until it’s too late. This is why you are encouraged to seek medical attention once you start feeling unwell. Don’t visit your doctor in person. Call ahead and warn them that you might have the virus. They will advise you accordingly. If you have the virus, you could infect other people on your way to the doctor.

✔ Educating Yourself

The best way to avoid coronavirus and to survive if you have contracted the disease is to stay informed. Read about COVID-19. Understand what it is and how it works. Learn all the symptoms of the illness and how to protect yourself and others. Stay up to date on all the developments. The virus is advancing so rapidly because medical experts know so little about it. They are doing what they can to unravel its secrets. As such, any new discoveries they make could affect your future.

For instance, the health arena is already abuzz with news that chloroquine can cure coronavirus. Chloroquine is an anti-malarial drug that was quite popular in Africa.

While the FDA hasn’t approved the use of chloroquine in treating COVID-19, health experts agree that the drug has been proven to block the coronavirus, though that was only in lab tests. While this is encouraging, and doctors are expected to use the drug in situations where patients’ lives are at risk, the FDA is planning to perform further research to determine the efficacy of Chloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19.

✔ Staying in Quarantine

Governments around the world are encouraging their people to stay at home. The objective is to limit exposure to the coronavirus. This is an inconvenience for so many people, especially those that cannot work as a result of the quarantine. But such measures are necessary to slow the progress of COVID-19.

✔ Listening to Authorities

While it is imperative that you educate yourself on the virus, you don’t have to understand everything there is to know about COVID-19. It is more important to follow the guidelines that have been set by your local health officials.

Their objective is to either prevent the illness from gaining traction in your community or to keep it from spreading further than it already has. As such, you are encouraged to do, as they say, to remain in quarantine until they permit you to leave your homes, to close every establishment that they believe has contributed to the spread of the virus, etc.

✔ Staying Healthy

While the goal is to avoid COVID-19 altogether, even the best preventative measures cannot provide any guarantees. This is why you are encouraged to stay healthy. Take steps to boost your immune system so that your body has all the tools it needs to fight the virus off if you ever contract it exercise and eat healthily. Make sure you are getting plenty of sleep. Drink plenty of water and reduce your intake of processed foods. The healthier you are, the higher your chance of survival.

 

Conclusion

While coronavirus is quite frightening, it is important for you to stay calm. Anxiety won’t do you any good. In fact, stress can negatively impact your immune system. Focus on doing everything in your power to avoid the virus and leave the rest to the doctors.