Covid-19 cases are increasing around the world and the more desperate governments are struggling to find a cure. However, as the search for a vaccine continues, you still need to protect yourself and your family from the dreaded coronavirus. Simple home remedies with good hygiene and best practices can help you keep your family safe.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) coronavirus is believed to be a respiratory virus, spread from an infected person to others. It usually transmits through aerosol droplets while sneezing, coughing and talking. Face masks and face shields are recommended by most health departments of the world, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a preventative measure.
These are a few other tips to protect from coronavirus.
Use a Face Shield
While masks can offer a high degree of protection, they are not without their limitations. Face shields essentially cover your entire face and protect your mouth, nose and more importantly your eyes. Many experts recommend wearing a face shield with medical masks for a higher degree of protection.
When you wear face shields, you are protected from droplets carrying the virus. Shields were found to be more effective than masks in preventing the spread of Covid-19 when used alongside contact tracing, increased testing, and social distancing.
One of the major factors that makes face shield superior is that most people wear ill-fitting masks. This is especially true for N95 masks. N95 face masks will work only when they are a snug fit and cover the nose and mouth completely. Unfortunately, the general public doesn’t really know how to find a fitting N95 mask.
Mask wearing also compels people to touch their mouth and nose more often. This increases the risk of viral spread. On the other hand, the face shield can be easily sanitized and reused.
Wash Hands for 15 – 20 Seconds
Most of us rub soap on our hands for anywhere from 2 – 5 seconds. That is not enough to kill any disease causing germs and viruses. You need to wash your hands for at least 15 – 20 seconds if you want to keep things clean at a microbial level. The way to wash hands is special as well. Don’t just rub soap on your hands without wetting it first.
Rinse your hands thoroughly before you apply soap or hand wash. Scrub both your hands on the back, in between fingers and especially under your nails for 15 seconds. Rinse with water and ensure that all traces of soap are gone.
You should make it a habit to wash your hands whenever you come home or before eating. It is good hygiene to wash hands whenever in the bathroom or after you sneeze or blow your nose. Washing hands is especially important after using public transport, shopping for groceries or accessing other public places.
If hand-washing is not an option, make sure you rub an alcohol based hand sanitizer on both your hands and under the fingernails. The sanitizer should contain at least 60% alcohol. This will help kill any viruses that you may have come in contact with.
Wear a Medical Mask
It is recommended to keep a face mask on whenever going out or meeting people. This is especially important if you are in touch with someone who is coughing or sneezing. Face masks protect you and others you come in contact with. If you have a cold coming on or have allergies, it is imperative that you always don a mask when around others. This will help contain the spread of infection in case you are asymptomatically infected.
Face masks go a long way in blocking liquid droplets. However, masks don’t completely block smaller aerosol particles. Regular N95 masks and custom N95 masks offer a higher level of protection as compared to medical and regular cloth masks. Unfortunately, masks don’t protect your eyes. In July, medical experts found evidence to suggest that coronavirus may spread by infecting eye mucous.
Avoid Touching Nose and Mouth
People must refrain from touching their nose, eyes, and mouth with their hands. This is especially true if their hands are unwashed. Not touching the face can limit the spread of germs to a greater degree. Make sure your children don’t touch their faces repeatedly. It will reduce the likelihood of them falling sick.
Unknowingly, our hands come in contact with several different surfaces during the course of the day. They may pick up any number of viruses. According to a new report, SARS-CoV-2 is thought to survive on certain surfaces for up to 3 days.
By touching your face, you may inadvertently transfer the virus directly to your nose, eyes or mouth, from where it can easily infect your body.
Applying Social Distancing
Social distancing and limiting contact with the outside world is a real need in these troubled times. People should avoid coming in contact with those who are unwell, elderly or show symptoms of the virus, if they can help it. The CDC has recommended maintaining a minimum distance of 6 feet from those who are coughing or sneezing.
Viruses containing small droplets can easily escape into the air and travel a distance of 6 feet when a person sneezes or coughs. You could breathe this in and get infected if you are not careful. Several social distancing norms are already prevalent across the world. This includes:
- Working from home
- Avoiding contact with people who don’t live in the household
- Avoiding large gatherings
- Avoiding public places, like restaurants, movie halls, and bars
Repeated Disinfection of Surfaces
You can only avoid going out so much. Everyone needs to purchase groceries and run out for daily chores. However, you can protect your home and family from a virus attack by using alcohol-based disinfectants. Make sure you repeatedly clean high traffic hard surfaces in your house, like door handles, countertops, toys, and furniture.
You should also consider cleaning personal items that you touch multiple times a day. This could be your earphones, phone, laptop, TV remote, or anything else. Don’t let anything sit idle without having it wiped down at least once a day with a strong disinfectant. There are special alcohol-based disinfectants in the market that are designed specifically to protect electronics.
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