2020 filled our vocabulary with words like Corona, Coronavirus, quarantine, isolation, lockdown, etc. Covid-19, the shortened term of Coronavirus has been haunting the public ever since its arrival. Right from the beginning of the year, the world and the people have suffered a lot owing to the pandemic. Whether it is the health or the economy, everything has been on stake. The virus came like a bolt from the blue and engulfed the whole world in it. Even the doctors were clueless about this virus and baffled on how to treat the patients. No medicine to treat the disease, no vaccine to curb the spread, and no idea on how to ensure one’s safety.
The virus was spreading like wildfire, and the number of infected people was raising every other day. People were losing their life, losing their near and dear ones and the other ailments like breathing issues came as an attachment with this disease. Hospitals were running out of beds and ventilators owing to the surge in the number of patients. Even the high-tech hospitals were going helpless to treat the virus.
Though a few medicines were giving temporary relief to the patients, they were also going out of stock because of the huge numbers of patients worldwide. These medications gave relief for a short span of time but were not the ultimate treatment for the virus.
What are the symptoms of Coronavirus?
There are no specific symptoms of this disease and this made the treatment even more difficult. A few of the highlighted symptoms were similar to that of common cold and fever. Eventually, it was found that the infected person tends to lose the sense of smell and taste temporarily.
Then came a few more twists to this pandemic. It was noticed that people who did not show any symptoms were also being tested positive for the virus. Why did that happen?
There are three types of infected people.
Symptomatic: These infected people show symptoms of being affected by the virus.
Pre-symptomatic: This group of people do not show symptoms at an early stage but develop them gradually.
Asymptomatic: These are the most dreaded spreaders because they do not show any symptoms but still carry the virus along with them and spread to others as well. Owing to their attributes, they are also called as silent spreaders along with the pre-symptomatic people.
In a situation where we cannot even identify who the infected people, strict measures were necessary to curb the spread of the virus.
A few solutions to curb the spread of the virus came up gradually as follows.
Social Distancing
As we know, Coronavirus is contagious, and it spreads if you touch or speak with the person infected with it. Moreover, the virus has the capability of staying alive on the surfaces for hours and days. It spreads when you touch these contaminated surfaces. The only solution that seemed possible was social distancing.
Maintaining appropriate distance from people, avoiding direct contact with them, refraining from crowding at places and avoiding gatherings and parties were the few steps taken to curb the spread of this virus. To facilitate this, lockdowns were imposed so that people need not come out of their house for work. The offices, factories, shopping malls, restaurants, theatres, parks, trades, schools, universities and all the commercial, institutional and religious places remained closed for days. These steps were helping in a slight reduction in the number of positive cases.
Apart from curbing the spread of the virus, the healthy practices that we have developed during these times will be helpful forever in life. A few of those practices are as follows.
Use of Protective Equipment
Without the cure or medicine, the only solution was to take the necessary precautions as follows:
• Using PPE Kits
PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. A full PPE kit includes a face shield, face mask, bodysuit, hand gloves, shoe cover and a disposable bag to safely dispose of the kit after using it. These kits ensure full body protection covering the entire body right from head-to-toe.
• Wearing Face Mask
The virus can be transmitted when you speak with the infected person or when they breathe, sneeze or cough nearby. The droplets released, carry the virus which can be transmitted to the non-infected people. Hence the usage of face masks is encouraged which covers the mouth and nose curbing the spread of the virus. There are various types of masks available in the market.
- 3-Ply Face Masks
These masks have three layers made of no-woven spun-bound fabric. Being lightweight, it is comfortable to breathe and speak while wearing it. These are inexpensive and can be used by people of all ages. - N95 Masks
These are little high-end masks offering maximum protection. These masks contain a self-priming filter which offers two-way protection i.e. it filters both the inflow and outflow of air. Accompanied by a head loop or earloop and nose pin, these masks fit well to people of all ages and size.
• Wearing Face Shields
Though face masks provide protection to mouth and nose, face shields enhance the protection by covering the eyes as well. They are made of plastic with anti-fog and anti-static coating to ensure clear visibility while wearing them.
• Hand Gloves
Hand gloves are quite essential because we know that the virus stays alive on surfaces for hours and days. Hence to avoid being infected with contaminated surfaces and things, hand gloves are a must.
The protective equipment ensures maximum protection and isolation of the person wearing them. You can buy good quality, well tested and sterilized PPE kits and other protective equipment from PPE Zones.
Along with the use of protective equipment, a few more precautions have been necessary.
• Personal Hygiene
It has become a routine for people to sanitize or wash their hands regularly. Soaps and sanitizers restrict the germs from entering the body.
• Sanitization of Surroundings
Along with personal hygiene, we have become aware of the importance of keeping the surroundings clean. Bacteria, virus and all types of germs dwell in dirt and multiply in huge numbers as well. People are understanding the importance of cleanliness and making it a habit to keep their surroundings neat and clean.
• Improved Food Habits
People with good immunity power stay safe from the virus to an extent. It is necessary to eat a balanced diet and healthy foods to boost immunity power. Realizing this fact, people are turning towards healthy food habits.
• Becoming Health-conscious
In this fast-moving world where everyone is just running day and night to earn wealth rarely being thoughtful of the health, have now become conscious about their health as well. We have understood the underlying meaning of the proverb ‘Health is Wealth’.
• Environmental Healing
Having realized the fact that environmental conservation is vital for healthy being of the humans, humans have started caring for the environment, limiting the pollution levels and being environment-friendly.
These few habits that we have incurred during these tough times shall stay with us forever. We must realize that though Coronavirus may leave, we must be careful forever because there is no certainty that no other microbe or disease would hit the world again. Hence our safety and health must remain our priority for life. Corona may leave, but the lessons it taught us shall remain forever.
