COVID-19: We’re in This Together
Created for Greatist by the experts at Healthline. Read more
It’s easy to feel helpless during a global pandemic, but you’re far from it. We all have a part to play in “flattening the curve” of COVID-19 (the disease caused by the new coronavirus). And in this case, a strong defense is the best offense.
Here’s the game plan:
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
HANDS: Wash them more often than you check Instagram, meaning often. Be sure to scrub for at least 20 seconds (singing a song in your head helps).
ELBOWS: Cough or sneeze into these instead of your hands to limit the spread of germs.
FACE: Don’t touch it, and wear a cloth face covering in public areas.
FEET: We’re talking distance, as in staying at least 6 feet away from other people, aside from those you’re self-isolating with.
FEEL: Listen to your body. If you’re feeling under the weather, stay home.
Pro prevention tips
In addition to the steps above, you can take other simple measures to prevent transmission of the new coronavirus. Here are some recommendations from the CDC:
Get cleaning. Clean and disinfect the surfaces in your home, especially highly trafficked ones like doorknobs, faucets, keyboards, and phones. Regular detergent or soap and water will work for an initial clean. Then disinfect the surface with bleach (4 teaspoons per cup of water) or a 70 percent or greater alcohol solution.
Cover up. To protect others, cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze. Ideally, you should cough into your elbow (since you don’t touch surfaces or people too often with that part of your body). Even if you use a tissue, it’s best to wash your hands afterward, just in case any viruses managed to slip through.
Mask up. The CDC recommends wearing a cloth face covering in public settings where it’s difficult to maintain social distance (think grocery stores, pharmacies, while you’re in transit), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
Home is where your health is. We should all be self-isolating right now, but this applies even more if you aren’t feeling well. Staying at home is the best thing you can do to protect others, but of course you should call your doctor if you need to.
How it spreads
When it comes to fighting the new coronavirus, knowledge is power. There’s a lot of misinformation about how the virus spreads, so here’s what we DO know for sure.
The term “coronavirus” refers to a category of viruses that also includes SARS, MERS, and the common cold. The current coronavirus is a being called “new” or “novel” because we haven’t experienced it in humans before. It’s less deadly than SARS or MERS but appears to be much more contagious.
One of the most important things to know about COVID-19 is that you can have only mild symptoms or none at all, so it’s possible to pass on the virus without realizing you have it.
Officials believe the virus originated in animals and spread to humans, which is rare. Rarer still is that it then began circulating from human to human, which is precisely what happened with SARS and MERS.
Here’s how the new coronavirus spreads from person to person:
talking, coughing, and sneezing — specifically, ingesting or inhaling respiratory fluid through your eyes, nose, or mouth from a person who has the virus
touching a contaminated surface and then touching your face (specifically your eyes, nose, or mouth)
direct physical contact with someone who has the virus
fecal contamination, which is much less likely
How to protect yourself
First of all, don’t panic — that doesn’t help anyone. Follow the prevention and sanitation tips above, and continue to self-isolate.
The best way to avoid contracting the virus is to avoid situations that could put you in contact with it. Basically, stay in the comfort of your regularly cleaned and sanitized home.
Protect others
Staying at home doesn’t just protect you, it protects others — especially those at a higher risk, like older adults and people with preexisting medical conditions. You could be carrying the virus without knowing and spread it to others. If you’re feeling sick, call your healthcare provider.
If you have to leave your home to seek medical attention, stay at least 6 feet away from other people. Limit what and who you touch. Try not to sneeze or cough in public, and if you do, do so into your elbow.
Masks to prevent COVID-19
Let’s be clear: Masks are in super high demand right now, so please don’t wear a surgical face mask or N95 respirator face mask meant for a medical professional.
Instead, wear a cloth face covering in public places, even if you don’t feel sick. Make sure it fits snugly against your face, secured with ties or ear loops. You should be able to breathe normally without restriction. You can make a face covering with materials you probably already have.
Coronavirus treatment
Don’t expect your healthcare provider to prescribe antibiotics, since those fight only bacterial infections. Antibiotics won’t cure viruses (like the common cold, the flu, and the new coronavirus).
Teams across the world are working on a vaccine, but it’s still in development.
Current available treatments
People who have been diagnosed as having COVID-19 are receiving supportive treatments as well as certain drugs (more on those shortly).
Doctors treat people with severe symptoms by using medication to reduce a fever, administering fluids to prevent dehydration, and providing supplemental oxygen when necessary.
What’s being done to improve treatments?
As the world waits for a vaccine, doctors are relying on some medications to help treat the symptoms of COVID-19.
Remdesivir
Remdesivir is an experimental antiviral medication that was created to treat the Ebola virus and is now being used to fight the new coronavirus in isolated cells.
While this drug has not been approved for use in humans, the FDA has approved a clinical trial in the United States, and two are underway in China.
Lopinavir and ritonavir
Sold under the name Kaletra, ritonavir and lopinavir were created to treat HIV. But recently, a 54-year-old South Korean man with COVID-19 was successfully treated with these two drugs.
The WHO says Kaletra could be especially beneficial when used in combination with other drugs.
Chloroquine
This 70-year-old drug has been used to treat malaria and other autoimmune diseases. It’s considered safe and has been proven effective at combating SARS.
At least 10 clinical trials are currently testing chloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19.
Favilavir
Favilavir is an antiviral medication that was designed to treat nose and throat inflammation. It has been approved by China to treat COVID-19.
While the results of the study have yet to be released, favilavir proved effective at treating COVID-19 symptoms in the 70 people included in a trial.
APN01
China is set to start clinical trials on APN01, a drug developed in the early 2000s, as a treatment for COVID-19. The scientists who created APN01 also discovered a protein (ACE2) that was involved in infecting human cells in the SARS outbreak and the new coronavirus.
Depending on the results of the first trial, larger clinical trials will soon be underway.
Think you might have COVID-19?
If you think you have COVID-19, follow these steps:
Assess your risk: Regular colds and infections are still going around, so try to remain objective about your symptoms. If people in your community have been diagnosed as having COVID-19 or if you’ve traveled recently, your chances of having contracted the virus are higher.
Don’t rush to the doctor: Call your healthcare provider first. For the average healthy person, COVID-19 isn’t likely to be life threatening. If your symptoms are mild, it’s best to talk to your provider instead of venturing to a clinic and putting others at risk. Your provider will evaluate your condition and work with the necessary authorities to decide if you need testing.
Hunker down at home: Self-isolation is vital in reducing the spread of the virus. Getting plenty of rest is also the best way to recover. If you’re at home with others, keep your distance and be mindful of touching common surfaces or sharing items. Also, research now suggests that some animals can contract the virus, so it may be best to limit direct contact with your pets while you have symptoms.
When to get help
According to the WHO, about 80 percent of people who contract the virus get better without hospital treatment.
If you’re healthy and relatively young and you don’t have any underlying health issues, your healthcare provider will most likely recommend you isolate and take care of yourself at home.
But if you’re older or immunosuppressed or you have preexisting conditions, call your healthcare provider as soon as you notice symptoms. If your symptoms start to worsen, seek medical attention immediately and take all the necessary precautions to protect others, like wearing a mask.
Let your local healthcare facility know when you’re coming in, so they can admit you appropriately. You can always call 911 in the case of a serious emergency.
We’re in this together
Together, we can and will flatten the curve. So remember the COVID-19 game plan:
Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds and disinfect surfaces in your home often.
Stay 6 feet away from other people, aside from those you’re self-isolating with.
Try not to touch your face, especially if you’re out of the house or haven’t recently washed your hands.
Wear a cloth face covering in public places, like the grocery store or pharmacy.
Sneeze or cough into your elbow, not your hands.
Stay home and steer clear of crowds.
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