There are plenty of simple things you can to limit your risk of getting coronavirus.
‘Taking measures to protect yourself is about protecting the wider community as well,’ says Professor Sally Bloomfield, honorary professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and chairman of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene.
‘Most people will experience mild symptoms but some older people and those with underlying health conditions are more vulnerable to severe symptoms, so we can actually save lives by taking the right precautions.’
Here are 9 ways to protect yourself from coronavirus…
1. Wash your hands more frequently
This is a key defence against both picking up and spreading coronavirus, so make sure you’re doing it frequently – always after you’ve been out and about, before eating and after going to the toilet.
2. Carry tissues, but bin them after one use
‘Tissues are a good way to block the air droplets produced by a cough or sneeze, but also for keeping the virus off your hands by coughing or sneezing into one rather than your hand,’ says Professor Bloomfield.
But many of us use a tissue to blow our nose and then it might go back into our pockets, but the key now is to throw it away immediately after one use as germs can live on a tissue for several hours.
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If you don’t have a tissue with you, cough or sneeze into the crook of your arm rather than your hands.
3. Stay aware of advice about social distancing
Social distancing is a measure that the government hasn’t yet recommended but may do if the virus spreads quickly. It can include measures such as working from home; limiting social activities that bring you into close contact with lots of people, such as going to the cinema or sports events; avoiding non-essential travel on public transport and not visiting elderly friends/relatives or those with a health condition.
However, this advice is not in place so carry on with your life as normal for now, with the added hygiene precautions of hand-washing and careful coughing/sneezing. If advice changes, look for information from the Department of Health.
4. Avoid touching your face
‘One way we can pick up the virus is after picking it up from a surface and touching our mouth, nose or eyes,’ says Professor Bloomfield. ‘Research has shown that we unconsciously touch our faces about 37 times an hour, so try to become aware of doing it.’
5. Use face masks only as advised
Before you stock up on face masks you should know that, while they play an important role in hospitals, there’s little evidence of benefit for the general public wearing them out and about.
‘Masks are useful for someone who is infected to reduce the chance of passing the virus on,’ says Graham Cooke, professor of infectious diseases at Imperial College London. ‘In hospitals, healthcare workers will need to be touching patients in enclosed rooms, so the risk of exposure is very high and the masks offer protection in that setting. But the mask protection doesn’t last long and so they would be changed regularly (between seeing patients). Hospital staff won’t wear them in day-to-day work (for example, outpatient clinics).’
6. Look after your body – and give up smoking
You may have seen content online or in the news talking about building your immune system in anticipation of a coronavirus outbreak. But while you should certainly (as always) be eating a balanced diet, drinking in moderation and getting enough sleep, there isn’t much you need to do beyond that.
‘It’s always a good idea to eat healthily, but there’s no evidence that taking supplements helps to prevent infection,’ says Professor Cooke. ‘Giving up smoking is encouraged though – there is some data to suggest that smoking is associated with more severe disease, so if you need extra encouragement to quit, this should be it.’
7. Be aware of your cellphone
‘Even if we’re diligently hand-washing, cellphones are commonly touched while we’re out and used again after we’ve washed our hands at home – they could potentially pass the virus back to our hands,’ says Professor Bloomfield.
If you want to clean your phone, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on what’s safe to use on the screen and buttons.
8. Clean your hot-desk
‘If you have your own desk space, there’s no need to take extra precautions with cleaning,’ says Professor Bloomfield. ‘But if you hot-desk, you may want to wipe down the keyboard, mouse and phone with an alcohol wipe or disinfectant. If you can’t, focus on not putting your hands in your mouth, nose or eyes.’
9. What to do if you feel unwell…
Lastly, but very importantly, if you start to feel unwell and you think you have coronavirus based on recent travels or after exposure to an infected person, you should self-isolate immediately and contact your healthcare practitioner for advice and assistance. The Coronavirus outbreak hotline number is 0 800 029 999. The symptoms are a cough, a high temperature and shortness of breath.
For updates and information surrounding COVID-19, head to the South African Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 website at sacoronavirus.co.za.
Emergency Hotline: 0800 029 999
WhatsApp Support Line: 0600-123456
Image: iStock
Source: Good Housekeeping UK
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