How to protect yourself from coronavirus in 2020

Every day, thousands of people around the world are infected with the coronavirus, and in order to protect yourself from the epidemic, health organizations recommend that you follow the prevention. Its implementation will significantly reduce the risk of contracting a Chinese infection. Read on for how to protect yourself from coronavirus in 2020, and what you need to do to do this.

General rules for protection against coronavirus from WHO

WHO has issued a series of recommendations for those wishing to protect themselves from the coronavirus from China. The whole point of the rules described below is to reduce contact with mass gatherings of people and carefully monitor daily hygiene.

washing my hands

It would seem that the rule is simple, but not everyone follows it. Only a few regularly wash their hands after visiting public places or public transport. And most of those who wash their hands with soap do it wrong. Mandatory hand washing upon returning home can significantly reduce the risk of contracting the coronavirus.

It is worth washing your hands not only after visiting public places, but also after contact with animals, before and after preparing food, before and after cleaning, after sneezing and coughing, etc.

Advice! If you are unable to wash your hands after contact with others, carry an alcohol-based gel with you.

Don't touch your face with your hands

The second rule in order not to get sick with coronavirus is not to touch your face with your hands. It is necessary to exclude the risk of bacteria getting on the mucous membranes (eyes, mouth, nose). Therefore, do not touch these parts of the body with unwashed hands. It is also recommended not to touch the hair, mustache and chin.

Respiratory hygiene: coughing and sneezing

The virus in China is mainly spread by airborne droplets. Therefore, when sneezing, be sure to cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief or tissue, and then dispose of them in a trash can. If not, sneeze into the crook of your elbow.

It is not recommended to cough into the palm of your hand, because. with hands, a person touches all objects in the room, including doorknobs. In addition, all items that you use regularly (smartphone, desktop, closet, etc.) should be regularly wiped down with an alcohol-based cleaner. This is especially true for those in whose house there are people with a temperature.

Avoiding public places

Viruses are predominantly spread by airborne droplets, so this is a standard recommendation when various epidemics appear. WHO recommends avoiding visiting public places and maintaining a distance of at least 1 m from others to escape infection. Rospotrebnazdor recommends giving up handshakes and kisses on the cheek.

Important! Asian medical professionals also advocate avoiding visiting crowded places. Only they recommend keeping a distance of 4.5 m.

Fresh air in the house

The epidemic spreads faster in stagnant air, so it should be avoided more than cold snaps. In the room you need to monitor the humidity. In winter, when the heating is on, the humidity will be below the optimum. If the values ​​fall below 30%, the mucous membranes may begin to become irritated. In winter, use humidifiers while changing filters. In summer, air fresheners should not always be used. To fill the room with fresh air, it is enough to open the windows in the house.

We use masks

Even following all of the above tips does not give a full guarantee that it will be possible to avoid infection. In order to avoid contracting the new Chinese crono virus, health organizations recommend wearing medical masks.

The use of masks reduces the risk of the epidemic spreading. However, they only cover the mouth and nose, leaving the eyes (one of the main channels of infection) unprotected. In addition, masks should be changed approximately once every 2 hours, which may seem like an unnecessary waste to a healthy person, given their sharp shortage in pharmacies. According to many experts, maintaining a distance of 1 m in public places and hygiene rules is much more important than wearing masks.

Rospotrebnadzor and WHO advise regularly wearing masks when visiting public places. But when using them, you need to follow a number of rules:

• put on after washing hands and do not touch when wearing;
• remove when the mask becomes dirty or damp as a result of prolonged use;
• do not reuse the same mask.

It is also not recommended to take it off and put it on again while wearing a mask, because. the virus could have gotten on her (or on her hands). If the front of the mask becomes dirty or damp, remove it by holding the elastic bands (avoid touching the front).

Do not panic

The main thing to follow in this situation is to avoid panic. After reading the news about the distribution, many bought groceries a month in advance and began to believe in many myths, such as that garlic or rubbing alcohol helps in the fight against the Chinese epidemic. By the way, on the WHO official website there is a special block where the organization's employees dispel myths about the treatment of coronavirus.

Anxiety is a completely normal condition. Try to communicate with loved ones more often, share experiences with them and support each other in difficult times. Normalize sleep, because. its deficiency can lead to a decrease in immunity. Also stick to a healthy diet and wash your food thoroughly.

Additional recommendations from the Russian Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation has already drawn up a number of recommendations that will allow citizens to protect themselves from coronavirus:

• Wash your hands often with soap or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. It is recommended to do this every time after going outside or contact with people or animals;
• do not travel to countries with the largest number of infected people (including most EU countries);
• Refrain from visiting public places. If you happen to be near a mass gathering of people, try to stay at a distance of 1 meter from them.

In addition, the organization recommends that you carefully monitor your condition and the health of loved ones. If you have symptoms in the form of profuse coughing and sneezing, fever and / or fatigue, then remember if you have visited countries with a large number of infected people in the next 2 weeks and have contacted people who came from there. If the answer is yes, you need to call the medical clinic and report the situation.

Important! The main thing is to keep calm, because. with a high probability it may turn out to be a common ARVI, however, with coronavirus, pneumonia can develop.

Doctor Komarovsky's advice

Dr. Komarovsky spoke about the rules for protecting against the Chinese epidemic:

1. Wash your hands often. Moreover, you need to soap them for at least 20 seconds to completely eliminate the virus.
2. Cover your mouth with a tissue when sneezing and coughing, then dispose of it. If you don't have a tissue, cover your mouth with your elbow.
3. Do not touch mucous membranes with unwashed hands.
4. Keep your distance from people around you. This advice is especially relevant if a person has signs of infection.
5. If upon arrival from China you have the main symptoms of an infection, call a doctor at home and do not go anywhere.
6. Do not visit markets where wild live animals are sold, especially those that are found in the wild.
7. Do not eat raw or poorly cooked animal foods.

According to Komarovsky, the latest recommendations are the most important for travelers, because. according to the widespread version, bats became the sources of the spread of the epidemic.

Completion

You can fight the coronavirus if you focus on hygiene and normal sleep, because. A sleepy body is more susceptible to viruses. Give up for a few weeks from visiting public places.