It is important during this period, to take all the necessary steps to protect oneself against this novel coronavirus (SARS CoV-2), so as not to put you, your family and friends in needless danger. There are many basic precautionary measures that can be taken against the virus. Many of these measures are provided by regulatory bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). We will carefully examine these measures below.
6 prevention measures you can imbibe
- Wash your hands as often as possible
Wash and clean your hands thoroughly for a minimum of 20 seconds with soap and water. You can also use an alcohol-based hand rub every chance you get. This kills the viruses on your hand. Hand washing is an important precautionary measure as the hands frequently come in contact with various surfaces that can be contaminated. We tend to touch parts of our bodies like the mouth, eye, nose which can serve as a port of entry for the virus to get into our system. Therefore, there is a need to adopt the habit of regularly washing one’s hands. This reduces the chances of contracting the virus and spreading it to others around you. This brings me to the next measure.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
As earlier stated, the mouth, eyes and nose can serve as an entry point for the virus. Therefore, we need to make a conscious effort to avoid touching these parts of our body with our hands as they come in contact with contaminated surfaces throughout the day.
- Maintain social distancing at all times
Social distancing is an act of keeping a safe distance usually 1 meter (3 feet), from any person known to be coughing or sneezing. This is an important precautionary measure as the virus is transmitted through droplets when a person who is infected coughs or sneezes, these droplets are heavy and do not tend to travel a long distance before dropping to the ground. So keeping at least a 3-meter distance between you and the next person especially those who are showing symptoms, prevents you from inhaling these droplets when the person coughs or sneezes.
It is also important to maintain the same distance between you and the next person when you venture outside your home to get necessities like grocery as the person next to you might be infected and not yet showing symptoms or having mild symptoms.
Social distancing is also practised by avoiding crowded places, needless visits or social gatherings. Observing all these precautions will reduce your chances of contracting the virus.
- Observe good respiratory hygiene
Try as much as possible observe good respiratory hygiene, and encourage others to do so. This means coughing or sneezing into a tissue paper, and disposing of it immediately and properly when you are done. If a tissue paper is not available, you can cough into your flexed elbow. As aforementioned, droplets you release into the air when you cough or sneeze help spread the virus. So, to protect those around you, it is important to practice good respiratory hygiene.
- Disinfect packages received and items bought from the supermarket:
Packages and items gotten from supermarkets or outside of the house should be disinfected before they are brought into the house as they might have been contaminated with the virus. Dispose of the outer package immediately after opening.
- Take necessary action, If you are experiencing symptoms:
If you notice that you start experiencing symptoms or begin to feel unwell, take precautionary measures so as to prevent the risk of infecting others around you. This includes self-isolation (avoiding contact with anyone around you) and immediately calling the NCDC helplines to assess proper information on how and where to get tested. This will help prevent the spread of the virus.
You can also chat with a doctor on here.
Updated information on the COVID-19 Pandemic
This is a novel virus that is currently being studied worldwide, meaning new and useful information are released all the time. It also means that information that we currently have might be changed or updated at any given time. It is thus important to stay abreast with current and accurate information on COVID-19 from reputable bodies worldwide and your healthcare professionals. This will enable you to stay ahead of the virus and adequately protect yourself.
Together, through awareness, we can slowly stop the spread of this novel coronavirus.
Still, got questions or need further clarification? Please drop it in the comment box or chat with our information specialist directly. We would love to hear from you.
#Stayathome #StaySafe
xo xo
Oncopadi cares