The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19 as the medical and scientific community calls it, is a rapidly-developing disease with a variety of potential effects. Because its existence was only uncovered at the end of 2019, people still have a lot of questions about it, questions that are difficult to answer with the current information.
But there are some basics that seem to be holding true. So, if you’re looking for a way to stay safe during this time, here are some important things you can do to uphold your safety and the safety of others:
-Social distancing
-Hand washing
-Be extra careful if you feel sick
-Stay calm
-Get good info from reputable sources
Maintain Social Distancing
The concept of “social distancing” is one you’ll probably see regularly in the media, whether you’re looking at news sources or Facebook. What it means is that you do your best to keep your distance from other people, especially those who may be sick or may be at high risk to get the coronavirus. The current rule of thumb is to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and others when out in public.
This is different from a typical quarantine because it’s important for everyone to practice, not just people who are currently sick. Even seemingly healthy people can carry the virus; it’s possible to be infected with COVID-19 and show very limited symptoms, or even no symptoms at all.
So, if you’re not already, social distancing is a good thing to start practicing if you can.
Wash Your Hands Regularly
Washing your hands is another important way to stay safer during this time (and all the time, really). Even products like hand sanitizer, which can be effective in killing bacteria and viruses, don’t actually get rid of them. You need to wash your hands to remove dirt, bacteria and viruses.
Properly washing your hands requires that you wash using soap and warm water, and that you wash for at least 20-30 seconds. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to washing your hands. Wash your hands in all these situations:
- When you wake up
- Before you go to bed
- Anytime you use the bathroom
- Multiple times while you’re out in public
- Any time you come back home from being out in public
- Before you interact with an elderly or immuno-compromised person
- After you interact with someone who may be sick
- Before handling food
Take All Sickness Seriously
One thing that’s important to note about COVID-19 is that the virus itself isn’t the only thing that can harm people. If you already have a respiratory infection, even an infection wholly unrelated to COVID-19, you’re at higher risk for complications if you do contract COVID-19. That means you need to take all sickness seriously.
Most medical professionals are currently advising that you don’t automatically go to the doctor if you have symptoms common with mild to moderate respiratory infections. Hospitals and doctor’s offices are under a lot of strain right now, and it’s important that you don’t overload them. However, if you feel sick, you should stay home and keep an eye on your symptoms. If they escalate or appear to fall more in line with coronavirus symptoms, then you should contact your doctor.
Don’t Contribute to Unnecessary Panic
A novel virus is a very scary thing, and it makes sense to be worried about its spread. However, contributing to unnecessary panic doesn’t help. It can actually hurt people, because panic and disorder can cause significant amounts of real, physical damage.
Before you share anything brand new about COVID-19 on social media or directly through word of mouth, take a second to make sure it’s true. Who’s saying these things? Where’s the information coming from? Don’t just share something after reading the headline; make sure you read through entire news articles.
Get Your Information From Reputable Sources
It’s important to make sure you’re only getting information on COVID-19 and potential antiviral treatments from reputable sources, such as the CDC or WHO, or established news organizations.
And getting good information isn’t just limited to the news. It also includes information about anything you might purchase for yourself. If you want to try and check for scams for anything you’re purchasing online, use PeopleFinders.
PeopleFinders helps you to get information about American adults across the country. That means if you’re looking at a website selling products to help with COVID-19 symptoms, you can perform a people search on founders, managers, or anyone listed as being behind the company. From there, you may be able to more accurately assess whether or not it’s a scam.
Conclusion
There’s a lot that people don’t yet know about COVID-19 and coronavirus. However, by keeping these basics in mind, you can still keep yourself safe during this time, even without a lot of information that people typically take for granted regarding other illnesses.
This is the first in a series of articles regarding the coronavirus. Pay attention to the PeopleFinders blog to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 and ways you can try to stay safe against it.
image attribution: Maridav – stock.adobe.com
