Anupama Nair
As it is said, the spread of any pandemic can be prevented, and here are some tips to prevent the spread of Corona.
- Maintain at least a 1-meter distance between yourself and others to reduce your risk of infection when they sneeze, cough or speak. Maintain an even greater distance between yourself and others when indoors, the further away, the better.
- Make wearing a mask a normal part of your life. The appropriate use, storage and cleaning or disposals are essential to make masks as effective as possible.
How to wear the mask?:
- Clean your hands before you put your mask on, as well as before and after you take it off, and after you touch it at any time.
- Make sure it covers your nose, mouth and chin.
- When you take off a mask, store it in a clean plastic bag, and every day either wash it if it is made of fabric or dispose of a medical mask in a trash bin.
How to stay safe? Avoid the 3Cs: spaces that are closed, crowded, or involve close contact. The risks of getting Covid-19 are higher in crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces where infected people spend long periods of time together in close proximity. Meet people outside. Outdoor gatherings are safer than indoor ones.
To stay safe, it is necessary to regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based liquid soap or sanitizer. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Hands touch many surfaces and can easily pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose, or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and infect you. By following good ‘respiratory hygiene’, you protect the people around you from viruses, which cause colds, flu and Covid-19. Clean and disinfect surfaces frequently especially those which are regularly touched, such as door handles, faucets and phone screens.
It is important to know the full range of symptoms of Covid-19. Stay home and self-isolate even if you have minor symptoms until you recover. Call your health care provider or hotline number for advice. Have someone bring you supplies. If you need to leave your house or have someone near you, wear a medical mask to avoid infecting others.
The dawn of the New Year brought a ray of hope. India is a pioneer in vaccine development. Covaxin and Covishield are the two vaccines. We have already vaccinated millions and we have a long way to go. India is distributing vaccines to most of the countries of the world. Hopefully, the world will bid adieu to this deadly virus in the coming year. It is a great relief our vaccination system is one of the best in the world.
Hope the virus will disappear from this world. As it is said in Sanskrit, Asatoma sath gamaya, tamasoma jyothir gamaya, mrityoma amritam gamaya, om shanti shanti shanti hi (let untruth turn to truth, let darkness turn into light, death turn to eternity, let there be peace).
