How to Protect Yourself from Novel Coronavirus

Written by Kausalya on February 18, 2020

Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent COVID 19. However, some everyday preventive measures can be taken to help prevent the transmission of respiratory diseases.

**A 3D medical animation still of a map showing countries affected by coronavirus (covid -19) till 18 Feb 2020**

Below we cover recommendations given by various trusteed agencies. But we have also compiled the best recommendations into a simple, downloadable PDF based on our research. It’s free to download and share under the WIKI Creative Commons 4.0 License:

Healthy Habits for Coronavirus Prevention (to view on mobile click here)

Preventive measures

Wash your hands

Wash your hands several times a day with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) if your hands are not visibly dirty. Regular handwashing, especially before and after eating, after going to the bathroom, after sneezing or coughing can help prevent the spread of germs, and is one of the best ways to remove germs.

Practice respiratory hygiene

Coronavirus spreads from person to person, mainly via respiratory droplets dispersed when someone sneezes or coughs, or talks, or when someone is in close contact with the infected person. Practicing respiratory hygiene can limit the volume and travel distance of respiratory droplets dispersed and prevent the transmission of the virus.

Respiratory hygiene includes

Wearing a surgical face mask in public
Covering the nose and mouth with a tissue while sneezing or coughing; it is very important to discard the tissue immediately after using it.
If the tissue is not available, covering the nose and mouth with flexed elbow rather than hands can help in preventing the contamination of objects and people who may be touched.
Maintaining a distance of at least 3 feet between other people especially with those who are sneezing, coughing, and having an illness.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth

Touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed or dirty hands can transmit the virus from the surface to yourself. So, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with dirty hands.

Seek medical care early if you experience mild respiratory symptoms

If you experience mild respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing, inform your healthcare provider immediately. The symptoms can be caused due to mild respiratory infection or any other serious condition such as COVID 19. Seeking medical care at an early stage can help in the treatment and in preventing the spread of the disease to others.

Practice general hygiene measures when visiting animal markets

Since coronaviruses were transmitted from animals to humans, it is very important to practice some general hygiene measures when visiting live animal markets, wet animal markets, and handling animal products. The general hygiene measures include

Washing your hands after touching the animals or animal products
Avoiding contact with stray animals
Avoiding contact with contaminated animal products, animal waste, and sick animals

Practice good food safety practices

Good food safety practices can prevent the cross-contamination of food products. Good food safety practices include handling raw or undercooked meat and eggs with care. Also, avoid consuming raw or undercooked animal products.

Disclaimer: The information in no way constitutes, or should be construed as medical advice. Nor is the above article an endorsement of any research findings discussed in the article an endorsement for any of the source publications.