An Informative Guide to COVID-19 Preventive Measures

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live life. We can no longer take pleasure in the simple things we love, like taking long walks at the beach, going to the dog park, or dining at our favorite restaurant without worrying about getting infected.

This pandemic has managed to bring life to an almost standstill, forcing businesses and the travel sector to shutdown in efforts to stop the spread of the disease in our states.
We cannot, however, continue to live in fear, and life has to go on. Although the coronavirus pandemic has dealt us a big blow, we can still afford to have hope that tomorrow will be a better day.

The first step you need to take to ward off the fear is to understand what this disease is, how it behaves, and spreads. Having this knowledge will help you know how to handle yourself and stay clear of avenues that could expose you to the virus.

Facts About COVID-19

COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus disease, is an infectious respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV- 2 strain of the coronavirus.

It manifests its symptoms gradually in infected individuals and has an incubation period of between 2-14 days. Symptoms that have been linked to COVID-19 include:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Dry cough
• Shortness of breath
• Chills
• Headaches
• Body aches
• Loss of smell and taste
• Nausea and diarrhea in some cases

The symptoms present themselves differently in patients, with some experiencing just minor symptoms, while others require hospitalization.

Some complications have of to this disease, may include pneumonia and cytokine storm. This disease is spread from person to person, mainly when healthy individuals come into contact with infected persons’ respiratory droplets.

This happens either through touching contaminated surfaces or via air transmission.

This disease has been observed to overwhelm older individuals; however, it has led to the hospitalization of younger individuals. It also can affect and kill individuals living with compromised immune systems.

The government understands first hand that people need to resume work, and life needs to gradually go back to normal. This is why the government has devised guidelines, which you can stick to during this pandemic, to ensure that you and our loved ones are protected against COVID-19.

Preventive Measures Against COVID-19

Here are some of the measures you can follow to protect you and your family from the coronavirus pandemic;

• • Practice social distancing during COVID-19

You need to ensure that you stay at least 6 feet away from other people and limit face to face meetings as much as possible.

As unsocial as this may sound, practicing social distancing during COVID-19, could be one of the best ways to curb the spread of the disease and reducing your avenues of exposure to the virus.
Social distancing is essential even among people who look healthy, because asymptomatic individuals can still spread the disease, especially to individuals who are highly vulnerable to COVID-19.

• • Wear a face mask in public

You should always wear a face mask whenever you are in public places. For instance, within our facility, both patients and medical staff must wear this protective gear.

The n95 mask might be hard to come by because they are mainly reserved for the front line workers; however, there are several other viable face mask options that you can use as a preventive measure against coronavirus.

Wearing a mask ensures that already infected individuals do not spread the illness to uninfected people when they talk, cough, or sneeze, all of which can spread droplets.

• • Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze

It would be best if you used a piece of tissue or the inside of your elbow to keep your droplets from spraying outwards onto people or surfaces. Discard the tissue once you are done and wash your hands immediately with some soap and water.

• • Practice self-quarantine and isolation where necessary

Quarantine is applicable in cases where someone suspects they might have been exposed to the virus. You can choose to go into quarantine in such a scenario, to keep the people around you safe as you wait to find out whether you are sick.

On the other hand, isolation is utilized to keep infected people, even the asymptomatic ones, from healthy people.

People who have to undergo quarantine or isolation should stay at home and work with our medical staff to monitor their health until they have been given a clean bill of health.

Other preventive guidelines include:

• Wash your hands with soap and water or sanitize using an alcohol-based sanitizer regularly
• Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose or mouth with unclean hands
• Clean and disinfect surfaces you come into contact with frequently such as light switches, phones, doorknobs, counters, taps and so on
• Avoid crowded places at all times
• Keep a keen eye on your health and if you notice any of the COVID-19 symptoms contact our health facility for guidance

Contact us today at Memorial Heights ER, for any guidance or medical assistance related to COVID-19.