Isolation, quarantine, pandemic, work from home, etc., such words and phrases became a part of our routine vocabulary over the past one and half years. Everyone is well aware of the havoc that the coronavirus has created all over the world. It seemed like the spread of this virus is under control a few months back. But now, the surge in coronavirus infection is being witnessed all over again. The second wave of the virus seems to be even more dreadful than its previous counterpart. Staying indoors is the only effective solution to stay safe. Often we hear that a person is isolated owing to the symptoms of COVID or he/she is under quarantine. These two words often get used interchangeably, however, there is a huge difference between the two. Continue reading to find out the difference between isolation and quarantine.
What Is Isolation?
Isolation is separating people infected with a contagious disease from other people who are not sick. Contagious diseases spread even by mere contact of infected people, and hence it is essential to separate them from other healthy people to curb the spread of disease. While in isolation, no one should come in direct contact with the infected person. The infected person should stay in a separate room and use a separate washroom that is unused by others. The clothes, utensils, furniture, accessories or anything used by the infected person must be kept separate and out of the reach of others. Germs stick to any surface and travel to healthy people’s body infecting them and proceeding the chain of infection. When the infected person stays separate in a room and does not come in contact with others, the chain will stop.
It is the exact reason that government officials and healthcare workers are advising people to stay indoors and isolate themselves if they have tested positive of coronavirus infection. Even if you haven’t tested positive but show the symptoms of coronavirus, it is advised to stay in isolation because you might turn positive at any time. Visit a doctor or hospital only when there is an emergency because if you go out, there are chances for the infection to spread through air/contact.
What Is Quarantine?
When you have been exposed to the coronavirus infection, either directly or indirectly, you are asked to stay in quarantine for a few days. Quarantine means to stay separate from others and check whether you are infected or healthy. For instance, your office colleague with whom you work every day might get infected with COVID-19, and now, as you have been in contact with him/her, there are ample chances that you might be infected too. In such situations, to keep your family members and others safe from infection, you must quarantine yourself. If you do not fall sick or show any symptoms even after the quarantine period of 14 days, you can come out of the quarantine as you are not infected.
Quarantine yourself when you have been in contact with an infected person from your nearby circle or when you return from a tour, or when you show mild symptoms of the infection.
Difference Between Isolation And Quarantine
From the above definitions, it is clear that isolation is done for the infected people while quarantine is for the people who may or may not be infected. Both are precautionary measures to curb the spread of disease. Quarantine is especially necessary to break the chain of COVID-19 infection.
Should I quarantine myself even if I do not show any symptoms but have been in contact with an infected person?
Often people feel that though they have been in contact with an infected person, if they do not show any symptoms of infection, they are safe, and there is no need to quarantine. And that’s the mistake that is leading to a surge in the cases of COVID infected people. There are three types of corona infected people,
- Symptomatic who show symptoms of the infection
- Asymptomatic who gradually show symptoms after a few days
- Non-symptomatic who never show any symptoms despite being infected.
Assume if you are an asymptomatic or non-symptomatic person and you do not quarantine yourself. Because of your carelessness, you keep spreading the infection to everyone you come in contact with. This keeps prolonging the chain, and that’s the result of a surge in coronavirus cases.
If the second wave of coronavirus has returned, it’s because of the carelessness of the people. Still, there’s time to have a check on the carelessness and follow the necessary safety guidelines to break the chain and curb the virus.
- Maintain social distancing.
- Avoid crowding at places and organizing parties.
- Eat healthy foods and boost your immunity.
- Follow strict personal hygiene.
- Keep your surroundings clean and germ-free.
- Wear safety equipment like a face mask, face shield, isolation gowns, hand gloves, bouffant caps and PPE kits.
You can purchase good quality personal protective equipment from https://www.ppezones.com
This is a fight for the lives, and you cannot be careless with it. If needed, isolate or quarantine yourself as per your health condition and let’s all unite in the mission of defeating coronavirus. For maximum safety, you can follow our guide to boost immunity and how to practice personal hygiene.
