Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses like the common cold to severe diseases. But the novel coronavirus is a new strain that was not previously identified in humans, as the existence of this virus was discovered in the year 2019, they have named it COVID-19.
You would be living under a rock if you didn’t know the existence of this virus by now. The spread of this virus started in mid-November 2019. The first existence of this virus was found in China which had connections to a meat market in Wuhan. However, the later cases that came up showed that these people had no connection to the market. This virus is suspected to have originated in bats which were then transmitted to pangolin and later it was infected to humans. Now, this virus is spreading among humans without any other animal intermediary.
When this virus was spreading among people in China, the rest of the world wasn’t aware of its seriousness. Travelling among countries continued. As a result, this virus spread across all the countries creating a major loss of lives. This virus has led to the collapse of the health services of many countries. This virus which started in china has now spread to all the corners of the world infecting large populations of people.
Only during the end of March and the beginning of the march did people awaken to its seriousness. During this period many governments imposed lockdowns which were thought to be an effective way to control this virus. But alas this led to greater stress and suffering among people as many were struck in unknown countries. As all modes of transport among countries were banned, these people pleaded with the governments to make arrangements to let them free to reach their homes.
As a large population of people was displaced, it took a lot of time to make arrangements which led to further tension and distress among the citizens. As the transportation and small businesses were seized, this led to unemployment and poverty among the population. People from all across the world were suffering.
Even after allowing transportation facilities to the people stuck in other countries, due to the failure of implementation of CDC guidelines for international travellers, it further lead to a larger spread of this virus. According to the CDC guidelines, these were the procedures to be implemented by the people who have travelled internationally to avoid the spread of the virus:
- Anyone who is going to travel internationally has to go through a screening and temperature check. This will help the cops to separate passengers who are suffering from fever which is a symptom of coronavirus.
- Once the passenger reaches his destination, he has to isolate himself and stay quarantined for 14 days.
- After the quarantine, he has to undergo a covid test. Only after he gets a negative in his report, will he be allowed to meet his family.This will help us filter out any asymptomatic patients who were missed out during the screening and temperature checking.
All these procedures had to be implemented religiously. But Alas, many countries failed to implement these guidelines, which led to a greater spread of this virus resulting in life losses.
Like everyone, you might be searching for some tips and tricks to stay away from covid as you want to do your part to protect yourself and your family from this virus. So here are some ways you can stay away from getting infected.
- Avoid going in crowds and gathering. You need to keep yourself away from large groups as you can get infected by anyone from that group easily. So as long as this pandemic continues avoid any kind of parties and social gatherings to keep yourself away from this virus.
- Wear a mask when you are away from home. Mostly avoid leaving your house. Only come out of your home for essential commodities. When you are doing so, make sure you are covering your nose and mouth properly with a mask. Do not wear any cloth masks or DIY masks as they provide less to no protection against this virus. Wear an N95 mask, as it filters the air around you, thus they protect you from inhaling the infected water droplets around you.
- Do not touch your nose, eyes, or mouth. These are the entry points of the virus. So make sure you touch them only after you clean your hands. It is best to avoid touching them at all costs. Even when you wear your mask, make sure you adjust it to your liking so that you can avoid adjusting them frequently later on, as this will only allow the entry of the virus into your openings.
- Regularly wash your hands using hand sanitizers which contain at least 60% alcohol in its ingredients. You can also use soaps to wash your hands frequently. Do not forget to wash your hands and feet especially when you have just come into your house.
- Avoid sharing personal items like towels, glasses, water bottles, plates, etc even among your family members
- Regularly disinfect your door knobs and handles as these are the hotspot for infections. As many people touch it frequently, they can contain the virus. This virus spreads through surfaces also, so you need to regularly disinfect them after every use to avoid getting infected.
- Don’t touch the packages that you get from outside immediately. Isolate these deliveries for a few days and use them only after you disinfect them.
- Change your masks regularly. Do not use the same mask for a long period as repetitive usage of contaminated masks can get you infected. Don’t touch the front part of the mask as this is the region where most of the contaminated droplets get accumulated.
- Get vaccinated as quickly as possible. This is the ultimate way to stay safe from covid 19. Many vaccinations like Covishied, co-vaccine, sputnik, etc have been discovered. So I would recommend you to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
- You can also take multivitamins like vitamin-c, B12, etc to make your immune system stronger.
So now that you are aware of the tips and tricks to stay away from covid 19, you should also be aware of the symptoms of this virus. Sometimes even after so many preventive measures also, you might get infected due to some other person’s negligence. So in such a situation, you need to be capable of identifying the virus entry so that you can get the necessary medical facilities immediately
Symptoms of Covid 19:
Some common symptoms are cold, dry cough, slight fever, body aches, tiredness, etc. Even though these might seem like the symptoms of viral fever, if you notice these symptoms during this period of the pandemic it is better to get yourself tested for covid instead of ignoring it as a common fever.
There are some less common symptoms like conjunctivitis, loss of taste and smell, rashes, diarrhoea, etc and there are some serious symptoms like breathing difficulties, chest pains, and difficulty in speaking. If you find such serious symptoms you need to contact health services immediately to avoid complications.
Studies show that it takes 2-14 days for the symptoms to show up after getting exposed to the virus. So if you test positive for covid 19, make sure that you inform everyone who was in touch with you during this period to get tested. It is really important to break the chain of transmission. So as soon as someone gets tested, if all the other people who were in contact with him between the 2-14 days period gets quarantined, then the spread of the virus can easily be controlled. Thus avoiding the further spread of the virus.
Is covid 19 life-threatening?
If you are someone who has a medical history of diabetics, bp, lung, or heart diseases then you need to be greatly concerned if you test positive for covid. Also, people who have recently undergone cancer treatments have to be under constant surveillance of health services as they have a compromised immune system. This is because a person having a medical history as mentioned above has a weak immune system compared to an average human being, the risk of complication is greater. So if you are someone with such medical history then you need to keep yourself safe from getting infected. If you get tested positive then you should not panic and contact health services immediately for medical guidance.
What should you do if you are tested positive?
As soon as you see the symptoms discussed above, get yourself tested as this will avoid further complications. If you have tested positive for covid 19 then you need to first get yourself mentally prepared. You might be hearing a lot of cases of deaths due to this virus, these days. So when you get tested for covid 19, don’t panic. Under the surveillance of the health services, there are greater chances for you to get well soon. Firstly surround yourself with positive vibes. Isolate yourself from your family. Make sure you get all your essentials regularly when you are isolated. After contacting medical professionals, take the tablets and multivitamins suggested by them regularly. Stay hydrated.
Drink a lot of water(preferably warm to avoid further agitation of your throat). You can also frequently take steam inhalation to avoid blockage. Avoid eating heavy food because your immune system is weak, fighting with the virus. So try eating simple foods with less to no spices. If you feel any discomfort or breathlessness contact health services immediately and let them know the seriousness of your situation. You can constantly keep monitoring your temperature by using a thermometer. You can also keep a check on your oxygen levels by using an oximeter. If you find your oxygen level dropping down, visit the health services immediately.
This is a very crucial time for the world. When this pandemic happened none of the governments and health services was prepared for this blow. As this virus is transmitting quickly all across the world, the amount of patients visiting the hospitals has increased exponentially. The doctors and health care workers are struggling to satisfy the needs of the patients. Ever since the pandemic happened, there has been a rush for health services. But the saddest part is due to the sudden pandemic, the health system in many countries wasn’t prepared.
While some countries successfully controlled the virus spread within a few months, many developing countries have been struggling to control it even after a year. In many of these countries, the second wave of covid 19 has also begun. This has become a very pathetic situation where lakhs of people are dying every day. The GDP of many countries has collapsed which is restraining the governments from providing the necessary health care services to their citizens.
This pandemic has also created poverty and unemployment among the masses. Due to frequent lockdown, many small businesses have shut down. Due to restrictions in transportations, many companies have faced crores of losses. This has impacted the mental health of many citizens.
If you are someone who has not faced any major losses in both health and finance, then count yourself lucky as there are lakhs of people struggling to live the life you have been living during this pandemic. Many have lost their homes and are struggling to find shelter during this outbreak. If you have food to eat, a home to live in, and money to spend then you should be grateful for this comfortable situation. The least you can do is to stay at home and follow the guidelines proposed by the CDC for our betterment.
We are all in this together. We should behave as responsible citizens and implement actions that benefit society. To begin with, by obtaining as much information you can about the situation and informing your loved one is a good contribution as “data is wealth”, also don’t stress shopping too many essentials as this would deprive a major chunk of people of getting their essentials. You can also contribute a step further by contacting many NGOs that are working for the deprived during the pandemic by donating food, clothes, money, and other essentials.
This is a global level pandemic and everyone is affected by it. The only way to come out of this situation is by helping one another and by following the guidelines given by the CDC. Let us all be responsible citizens and curb the transmission of this deadly virus.
Hope this article helped you gain some insight into the situation.
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