With Christmas approaching and the wave of COVID-19 beginning, you may be tempted to put caution aside and live your best life before the pandemic. But now is not the time to lower your guard. COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the country and it could be many months before a vaccine is approved and sent to your pharmacy or doctor's office. Measures to curb the spread of the virus will be part of our lives for the foreseeable future.
How to avoid the spread of COVID-19?
Don't assume that meetings are safe places
Putting on a mask to travel on public transport or attend an outdoor event is a good habit because the more people interact and the longer the contact lasts, the greater the risk of acquiring and spreading COVID-19.
But you should exercise the same level of vigilance even if you are just having lunch with a few friends or going to the movies with your partner. These activities are lower risk than mega events, but they are not zero risk. People tend to get carried away by a false sense of security in these more intimate settings.
Most tend to let their guard down when they are in small groups and gatherings with their friends, not realizing that some of them may harbor the infection and are not being as meticulous about social distancing or covering their faces.
Put on the mask correctly
Masks that "fail" are frustratingly common: masks that hang from one ear, fall under the nose, come out of a pocket. The coronavirus doesn't care if you had good intentions. You should wear it properly to avoid possible transmission of the virus to others (and to protect yourself from infection).
If you're not in the habit of putting one on, getting used to wearing it can be difficult, but then it becomes a "second skin."
Do not use exhalation valve masks
When COVID-19 started infecting people, masks were in short supply. Now, with extensive options on the market, why not replenish your reserve with the ones that work best to reduce transmission risk? New airflow videos from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) suggest that masks with exhalation valves fail the cutoff.
Most exhalation valves consist of a small, flexible flap that acts as a one-way check valve, opening on exhalation and closing on inhalation. They are designed to allow exhaled air to pass through the mask, and that is the problem. These videos show how the valves allow air to escape from the mask without filtering it, defeating the purpose of the mask.
So what kind of should you use? Experts recommend those with two or more layers of washable and breathable fabric . Although a Science Advances study from September 2020 found that N95 masks , the tight-fitting type used by healthcare workers and first responders, are better at blocking respiratory droplets, experts advise against their use by the general public. so as not to run out of supplies. The same study found that the three-layer masks worked almost as well.
Do not be with many people indoors
As the weather turns chilly and socially distancing backyard barbecues give way to indoor festivities, concerns are mounting about the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes coronavirus).
Viruses in aerosols can remain suspended in the air for many seconds to hours and be inhaled. These airborne particles, especially in poorly ventilated indoor spaces, can cause over-propagation events .
During the summer, people did not huddle as much indoors, but now we are entering a more dangerous period. We're going to have a really tough winter, because you're only as strong as your weakest link. A family can do everything right, and still they can't control their 18-year-old son who went drinking with his friends and then came to Christmas dinner and passed it on to everyone.
Think that you are not invincible
At the beginning of the pandemic, the rate of new COVID cases was highest among older adults. So naturally, many young, healthy people assumed they were out of the woods. But new data suggests that young adults are quite capable of contracting the infection and passing it on to other people.
During the summer (June, July, August), young people between the ages of 20 and 29 accounted for the largest proportion of all cases: more than one in five. The higher level of infection among younger adults likely contributes to community transmission of COVID-19. And that poses a risk to older adults and others at higher risk for serious illness.
Keep in mind that forty percent of infections are asymptomatic. That means you can have coronavirus, not know it, and infect others without realizing it.
You can get infected again
If you had the disease and recovered, your immune system created antibodies to fight the infection. It's great news, but don't count on it as a blanket of protection against future infections. Scientists don't know how long that immunity lasts. It can be three or four months; p could be a bit longer, studies suggest.
Recent reports of people with confirmed COVID cases being reinfected are causing concern. According to other viruses, including the common cold (a type of coronavirus), some reinfections are expected, but at this point, cases of COVID reinfection remain rare.
Whether or not you've had COVID, you still need to wear a mask, social distancing, and wash your hands to avoid catching and spreading the virus.
Do not trust the temperature measurement
A normal body temperature is 36-37ºC , more or less. But if you go out into the world thinking that no fever means you don't have COVID, you could put other people at risk. Temperature controls are very difficult to use as an indicator.
A surface temperature reading may not be very reliable, for example if you've been in a cold room for a period of time. And if you took a fever-reducing medicine like acetaminophen or ibuprofen before your temperature was checked, you're less likely to have a fever.
A September-October 2020 report, published in Travel Medicine and Infectious Diseases, warns of the futility of temperature controls as an indicator of COVID-19, especially in young adults.
In September, some announced a change in strategy to control certain international airline passengers. Now you recognize that some people with COVID may have no symptoms or may have a fever at the time of evaluation.
Analyze your symptoms
With cold and flu season accelerating (and seasonal allergies in full swing in some areas of the world), it can be difficult to know what is making you miserable. Please don't ignore the symptoms.
You may need tests to confirm a diagnosis. If it's the flu, your doctor may prescribe antiviral medications to speed your recovery. If it's COVID, you need to isolate yourself.
A test does not change the course of the disease, but it reassures people that they have it. You need to stay home, and isolate yourself and you must notify others about your illness so they can take the proper precautions.
