5 Ways To Steer Clear Of The Coronavirus
Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a virus that started in China and has reached other nations like Italy and the United States. The virus has symptoms similar to the flu or a cold, but it has nastier side-effects. These side-effects include the inability to breathe due to it blocking the air sacs in the lungs. And, to make matters worse, the virus also affects the kidneys and heart. Coronavirus also causes blood clots, making this virus dangerous for whoever has it. It has affected a large mass of people on a global scale: there is a total of 2,762,531 cases of COVID-19 and the number is growing. The global death toll is a total of 193,231 people.
There are a total of 890,198 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with the death toll totaling 50,403 people. To prevent COVID-19 from spreading, people have self-quarantined. They also have produced five safety countermeasures during the era of social-distancing: always wear a mask, wear gloves, sanitize items, sanitize yourself, and wash your hands. These are the five ways to steer clear of the coronavirus, and they are listed below in alphabetical order.
1. Always Wear A Mask
One way to steer clear of the coronavirus is to always wear a mask outside in public areas. The masks are intended for individuals in the community and healthcare workers. When you are wearing the mask, you should wash your hands and you should also make sure that your mask covers your nose and mouth and that it has no gaps between your face and the mask. To remove the mask, you should remove it from behind and clean your hands.
If you do not wear a mask during this time, you might get COVID-19. Wearing a mask is a safety precaution because the coronavirus is spread through coughs and sneezes from a person that carries the virus. If you do not wear a mask, once you get home, you should gurgle a glass of warm, salt water and spit it out. I do not know if that will work 100% because I always wear a mask when I am out in public areas, so you probably should wear a mask during this time to protect yourself.
Once you are done using your mask, put it in a plastic baggie so it does not contaminate anything in your house. If you need to use it again, you can take it out of the baggie and put it on to prevent cross-contamination. Or you could throw it away and get another one, either way, you will have to wash your hands once you take it off. There are four more ways to steer clear of the coronavirus like wearing gloves, sanitizing purchased items and yourself, and washing your hands.
2. Always Wear Gloves Outside
Another way to to steer clear of the coronavirus is to always wear gloves when you are getting the mail and bringing groceries or other purchased items in your home. Although it is not a perfect form of protection from COVID-19, it is better than not having any. They are no Wonder Woman’s gauntlets, but they will prevent most of the bacteria from getting on your hands. However, you should not wear gloves unless they remind you to avoid touching your face during this time.
Once you are done using your gloves, throw them away. They hold most of the bacteria that were on the items you touched, so it is best to throw them away and wash your hands afterwards. Although the gloves catch most of the bacteria, some of the bacteria’s residue is on your hands as well, so it is a good idea to wash your hands before you put them near your face. There is another way to steer clear of the coronavirus like sanitizing purchased goods and mail.
3. Sanitize Purchased Items and Mail
The third step you should do to steer clear of the coronavirus is to always sanitize your purchased goods and your mail. By doing that, you save yourself from catching COVID-19 on accident. You should stay home except when it comes down to essential trips like getting groceries or the mail. Cleaning and disinfecting mean different things, but when it comes down to it, it is better to both at in times like these. Cleaning is about removing contaminants from a certain surface you are working on, while disinfecting is about killing pathogens in the area. If you do both of these methods daily once someone enters or leaves, you will be set.
If you do not sanitize the items you have purchased that may have come in contact with a carrier of the coronavirus, you and everyone in your household are most likely going to get COVID-19. It is important to disinfect your items, some of the delivery-crew that bring packages to your door have the coronavirus. Disinfecting purchased items and mail is vital, and it is safer to clean the surfaces with certain chemicals like bleach.
You should sanitize your mail and purchased items with watered-down bleach. You probably should not use any other chemicals like Iodine, because they will not get the job done like watered-down bleach. Pouring ordinary bleach is toxic, but if you water it down and spritz it on an item and wipe it, you and everyone in your household will be fine when you are under self-quarantine. There are other ways to steer clear of the coronavirus like sanitizing yourself.
4. Sanitize Yourself
Another way to steer clear of the coronavirus is to sanitize yourself when you are in public areas. You should practice good hygiene when you are out and about in public areas. However, you should stay six feet away from people in public places. If your body gets compromised by a cough or a sneeze from a person ignoring the coronavirus prevention protocol, get a shower as soon as you get home. The last thing to help you steer clear of the coronavirus is washing your hands.
5. Wash Your Hands
The last and vital part of steering clear of COVID-19 is to wash your hands after you handle your mail or purchased items that are infected with the coronavirus. You should wash your hands with soap and water frequently after you touch contaminated items. When you wash your hands, you should rub them thoroughly for 20 seconds. If you do not have soap or water available to you, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. You should avoid touching your face (eyes, nose and mouth) until you get your hands sanitized.
If you do not wash your hands after touching items that may have come in contact with a carrier of the coronavirus, you are most likely going to get COVID-19. You are also gambling with your well-being and that is not the wisest thing to do during this time. COVID-19 is no joke, it has reached other nations like Italy and the United States. Its side-effects include the inability to breathe due to it blocking the air sacs in the lungs. And, to make matters worse, the virus also affects the kidneys, heart and it causes blood clots.
Do you like these five tips to steer clear of the coronavirus? If so, let us know in the comments below.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/data-do-not-back-cloth-masks-limit-covid-19-experts-say
My name is Kaitlin Felder. I graduated from Missouri Southern State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Professional/Technical Writing in May 2019.