Coronavirus, a word most of us had never heard of 3 months ago, but in fact, corona viruses are responsible for both MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome) and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), and some strains can cause the common cold.
However, the novel corona virus, now named COVID-19, although less deadly than SARS, appears to be far more contagious.
First identified in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019, it has now spread to 100 countries, with some being more affected than others.
Symptoms can appear 2-14 days after exposure and include a fever, cough and shortness of breath. It is advised if you do have any symptoms that you do not attend a hospital, pharmacist or GP surgery and rather call 111 (UK) or fill out the form on 111online.
Overall, the prognosis is good with the majority of people recovering successfully, however, as always, people who are immunocompromised, elderly or have existing health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease are considered in an ‘at risk’ group. Interestingly, the virus does not seem to significantly affect children. According to the CDC, although there is limited information available, most confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in China have occurred in adults.
At the time of writing Europe alone currently has reported 11,358 cases, with Italy having the worst outbreak thus far. Although the death rate is calculated at 3.4% it is likely that this figure is not accurate due to recent studies showing that many people may be asymptomatic or have very mild version of the virus and may never know that they have contracted it, and thusly, spreading it. This obviously is concerning, so it is all our responsibility to be vigilant do our best to protect and contain the spread of the virus.
Although it all sounds rather doom and gloom, it is important to remember that the mainstream media tend to focus on the negative because that is what sells newspapers. To look at it another way, there is a 96.6% survival rate, and that sounds an awful lot better than the other way around.
Anxiety surrounding what is likely to be an inevitable outbreak has soared. most of us will have seen on Social Media the empty shelves in the supermarkets. Apparently, toilet roll and pasta are a scarse commodity, at least it certainly seemed that way in my local Sainsbury’s.
Hand Sanitiser is being stolen from hospitals, and face masks are now practically a thing of legend.
Really, we need to do what we are best known for, and that is Keep Calm and Carry On, providing you’ve washed your hands, of course.
So, lets look at how we can avoid catching or spreading COVID-19.
How to avoid catching or spreading the coronavirus
- Washing your hands regularly and thoroughly is perhaps the best preventative measure against the coronavirus. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water. Something I have been practising with my 4-year-old is singing Happy Birthday twice whenever we wash our hands, personally, when I’m alone, I prefer the chorus to Jolene by Dolly Parton. Both coming in dead on 20 seconds, and the late in life discovery that bathroom acoustics are rather good.
- When out and about, and unable to get to a sink, it’s a good idea to keep an alcohol based sanitiser on you as it will help in the meantime. Hand sanitisers with more than 60% alcohol content are the most effective at killing microbes. Click here to view our stock of hand disinfection products, although please be aware, due to the current climate, our stock is limited.
- Avoid using door handles and try use a tissue or sleeve to open doors, press lift buttons etc.
- If you do need to cough or sneeze, it is important to use a tissue or flexed elbow to sleeve where possible rather than your hands, to prevent spreading the virus. Then dispose of the used tissue in a closed bin immediately.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. You would be amazed at how many surfaces your hands will touch throughout the day, which could easily be contaminated with the virus.
- Try and avoid contact with people who are unwell. Droplets from coughing or sneezing spread the virus so make sure to protect yourself and not risk contamination.
DIY Hand Sanitisers
As many retailers and manufacturers face shortages on hand sanitisers, DIY guides have popped up on the internet, most likely stemming from the World Health Organization’s to ‘Guide to Local Production’ document.
Although useful information, the WHO guidelines were intended for communities with no clean water and with no other choice to stay clean amid viral outbreaks.
Unless an emergency, it is best practice to focus on hand washing rather than DIY Sanitiser guides. Isopropyl alcohol can damage your skin if not mixed correctly with the proper ingredients. Certainly, be wary of buying hand-made hand sanitisers from places like ebay where you don’t know what ingredients are included.
Returning Travellers
The Government have now issued information for people who have travelled back to the UK from affected areas. From Gov.uk as of 08/03/2020:
Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if you’ve travelled to the UK from the following places in the last 14 days, even if you do not have symptoms:
- Iran
- Hubei province in China
- Lockdown areas in northern Italy: Lombardy region (which includes the cities of Milan, Bergamo, Como) and the provinces of Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia and Rimini (all in Emilia Romagna); Pesaro e Urbino (in Marche); Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and Vercelli (all in Piemonte); Padova. Treviso and Venice (in Veneto).
- Special care zones in South Korea: Daegu and Cheongdo
Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if you’ve travelled to the UK from the following places in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath, even if your symptoms are mild:
- Mainland China outside of Hubei province
- Italy outside of the lockdown areas
- South Korea outside of the special care zones
- Cambodia, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam
Sources:
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response
