As Coronavirus Spreads, Here’s What You Can Do

As Coronavirus Spreads, Here’s What You
Can Do
Cdrfnm
May 4 · 4 min read
As coronavirus, or COVID-19, spreads globally, it’s become an unavoidable topic of
conversation that inevitably leads to a set of important questions: What can individuals
do to avoid contracting the virus? What will actually help?
While coronavirus testing in the U.S. has become more widespread, and scientists are
working on a vaccine that could be ready in a year to 18 months, we spoke to two public
health experts on vital steps to take now for prevention: Beth Virnig, PhD, MPH, a
professor of public health who teaches epidemiology (among other programs) at the
University of Minnesota; and Steven Goodman, MD, MHS, PhD, a professor of
epidemiology and population health at Stanford University. As the news changes every
day, here’s what they recommend:
Free Video Reveals:
The Hidden TRUTH About the
Coronavirus! And You Can Protect Your Family From DangerToday……
Wash your hands
Anyone can publish on Medium per our Policies, but we don’t fact-check every story. For
more info about the coronavirus, see cdc.gov.

Wash your hands
Experts agree that washing your hands frequently is one of the most important acts in
preventing virus spread. Speci cally, “clean hands often with soap for at least 20
seconds,” Virnig explains. She advises counting in your head while running hands under
the water or “singing the Happy Birthday song twice.” And don’t just grab any soap:
Goodman recommends speci cally picking up an antibacterial cleanser, and paying
“good attention to nail beds, ngertips and spaces between ngers” when washing.
Free Video Reveals:
Self-quarantine if you feel sick
“Stay home if you aren’t feeling well, and encourage your friends and coworkers to do
the same,” Virnig recommends. In general, Virnig advises keeping your distance from
other people. As for what constitutes far enough, the World Health Organization
(WHO) recommends maintaining at least “three feet of distance between yourself and
anyone who is coughing or sneezing.”
Should you start to feel ill, Goodman says to stay out of public areas to avoid spreading
the sickness. “If you do get mild cold or u symptoms, do not run immediately to your
doctor or a health care facility; they can’t do much for you, and you can contaminate
both others and the facility itself,” he notes. “If you have to go out, even to a store, try to
protect others by staying away from them, coughing or sneezing into your elbow,
maybe wearing a mask or gloves. But if you develop more than mild symptoms,
particularly if you have any trouble breathing, then seek immediate care..”
Free Video Reveals:
Refrain from touching your face
Goodman advises against touching your face, eyes, nose, and mouth since “you can
transmit a virus in a single touch.” While coming into contact with a contaminated
surface won’t immediately con rm the spread, infection occurs when you touch your
eyes, your mouth, or the inside of the nose. “You can also be infected by breathing in
infected droplets or virus suspended in the air from a cough or sneeze,” he says, “but
those don’t last as long in the air as they do on surfaces.” Another solution is to wipe
down your surroundings with disinfectant wipes before coming into contact with them.
Free Video Reveals:
Carry hand sanitizer
Although washing with soap and water is king, coating hands with hand sanitizer is a
handy on-the-go method. “I only use sanitizer when I don’t have access to soap and
water,” Virnig says. The CDC recommends an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least
60% alcohol (for example, Purell has 70%), and Goodman provides helpful tips on

proper use: “The virus does not instantly die on contact [with hand sanitizer],” he says.
“You have to rub it completely around your hands, with particular attention to your
ngertips, ngernails, and spaces between your ngers for at least 10 to 15 seconds.
Your hands should still be wet at 15 seconds. A mere swipe with an alcohol wipe that
dries almost immediately is not enough.”
“By the way,” he adds, “99%+ alcohol does not work so well; the 20–40% water that’s
in the hand sanitizer gels is needed to kill the viruses best.”
Free Video Reveals:
Stock up on essentials
Beyond hand soap, Virnig recommends supplying your home with a few essentials. “I
would make sure you have at least a little food in your house in case you decide to stay
at home for a few days,” she says. When you’re doing bulk buying, remember that
surgical masks do not need to be top of the list. “The standard paper surgical masks on
the news have virtually no protective value for healthy people,” explains Goodman.
“However, for people with cold or u symptoms-even if they don’t know the cause-they
can prevent coughing or sneezing the droplets into the air that infect others.”
Otherwise, masks are most important for health care workers taking care of sick people.
Free Video Reveals:
. . .
Originally published at https://www.vogue.com.
Coronavirus
Coronavirus
Update Coronavirus Covid19
Covid 19
Crisis Covid 19
WRITTEN BY
Cdrfnm
Follow

As Coronavirus Spreads, Here’s What You Can Do

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to As Coronavirus Spreads, Here’s What You Can Do

Similar to As Coronavirus Spreads, Here’s What You Can Do (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

As Coronavirus Spreads, Here’s What You Can Do