Combat Corona in Home & Workplaces

Combat Corona in Home & Workplaces: A Complete Guide to COVID-19

The current outbreak of Covid 19 has been horrifying the world. The WHO has already declared it a pandemic. Due to this, people from all over the world have started panicking and believing in myths. However, to deal with the situation, sharing the right protective measures is the best idea, be it your home or workplace.

In a coordinate effort to combat the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, The ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) and WHO (World Health Organization) have agreed to work closely and gather the latest and the most reliable information and ensure people get the right guidance to stay safe.

There is no denying the fact that this virus is highly contagious and there is still no vaccine, but we can prevent it if we keep calm instead of being panicked. Having the right knowledge about the virus can help you stay safe and keep others healthy. Let’s learn about the virus and take the right step to stay safe.

1. What is coronavirus?

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a huge family of viruses that cause illness ranging from common cold and cough to more severe and deadly diseases, like MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and SARS-CoV (Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Covid-19 is a new strain that was discovered in 2019. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, which means they are transmitted between animals to people.

2. Symptoms for coronavirus:

The signs of infections include

• Fever
• Cough
• Breathing difficulty
• Shortness of breath

The following symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure. In more severe cases, the infection can cause

• Severe acute respiratory syndrome
• Kidney failure
• Pneumonia

3. Basic protective measures:

• Wash your hands frequently:
  Clean your hands regularly and thoroughly with an alcohol-based hand wash or soap and water. Use hand sanitizer frequently.
  Reason:
  Washing your hands with soap and water and 60% alcohol-based hand wash will kill viruses if there is any in your hand.
• Maintain social distance:
  Maintaining at least 3ft distance from a person who is coughing or sneezing is a must.
  Reason:
  Coughing or sneezing might spread viruses through the small droplets from their nose or mouth. Breathing the droplets can also infect you if the person is already infected with the COVID-19 virus.
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose, and mouth:
  Avoid touching your nose, eyes or mouth with dirty hands or when you are outside.
  Reason:
  Our hands can pick up viruses easily since it touches many surfaces. Contaminated hands can transfer viruses into your eyes, nose or mouth. So, if you touch, it can make you infected more easily.
• Practice respiratory hygiene:
  Maintaining respiratory hygiene has been a crucial factor in today’s environment. Make sure you and the people around you follow a good respiratory issue to maintain hygiene. While coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth or nose with a bent elbow or use a tissue and dispose of it immediately.
  Reason:
  Droplets spread the virus. By maintaining good respiratory hygiene, you can protect people around you from spreading this virus.
• If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical help immediately:
  Quarantine yourself for the betterment of you and society. Stay home if you feel sick no matter whether you have a cough and sneezing or not. Go for medical help and follow the direction of the local health authority.
  Reason:
  National and local authorities will have the latest information on the current situation in your area. So, stay connected with the local and national authorities to get informed and call health care professionals as soon as possible to get rid of this disease.

4. Protective Measures for Workplaces:

Since this 2019-nCoV is highly contagious, keeping your workplace safe for you as well as other employees are highly important.

• Stay home if you are sick:
  If you have cold and flu-like symptoms or simply experiencing a runny nose, stay at home or do work from home.
  Reason:
  80% of infected individuals have developed the virus from simple cold and flu symptoms. Please stay at home for at least 14 days to ensure that you have not infected with the coronavirus.
• Refrain yourself from visiting the workplace after traveling to a high-risk country or infected city:
  Keep yourself home quarantined for 14 days if you have recently visited a city or country with a confirmed case of the virus, irrespective of whether it is a personal trip or business-related. Take special care in case of the high-risk countries, like China, Italy, South Korea, and Iran.
  Reason:
  Since the disease may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure, refraining yourself for 2 weeks can protect your workplace from being infected.
• Use sanitizer and take proper preventive measures:
  As soon as you reach your office, wash your hands thoroughly and use sanitizer frequently.
  Reason:
  Since this disease is highly contagious and spreading like fire, keeping your hands free from this virus is a must. Also, don’t touch your nose, eyes or mouth with your hands to avoid infection.

5. What your employer can do for you:

As an employer or CEO of an organization, it is your responsibility to keep your employees healthy and safe. If you have not yet allowed a work-from-home facility for your employee, make sure your workplace provides

• Hand sanitizer and handwash to every employee
• Clean paper towel
• Thermal screening facility in the working premises
• Profession disinfection team to disinfect the workplace in case of witnessing any potential case

6. Some major concerns and their answers:

• How should I greet another person to avoid getting infected by coronavirus?
  Avoid any physical contact like a handshake to prevent COVID-19. And instead, greet a person with a wave, a nod or a bow.
• Can wearing the rubber gloves help in preventing Coronavirus infection?
  No. Only washing your hands frequently with water and alcohol-based hand wash and hand sanitizer can help you stay away from this virus. However, COVID-19 contamination rubber gloves can be used for safety measures.

7. Some Myths are Debunked:

• Myth 1:
  COVID-19 can be reduced in the areas with hot and humid climates.

  Myth Buster:

  There is no such evidence of this myth. In fact, the evidence says, the COVID-19 virus can be transmitted in all areas, be it hot and humid weather or cold weather. So, regardless of climate, take protective measures to stay healthy.

• Myth 2:
  Cold weather and snow can destroy the virus

  Myth Buster:

  We have already shared that there is no evidence that climate changes can not affect the coronavirus at all. Regardless of the external temperature and weather, our human body temperature remains around 36.5-degree to 37-degree centigrade. So, the outer temperature is not going to change the virus inside the human body.

• Myth 3:
  Taking a hot bath can prevent new coronavirus.

  Myth Buster:

  Taking a hot bath will not prevent you from catching COVID-19. Again, a hot bath is not going to change your inner body temperature. The best way to protect yourself is by cleaning your hands as much as you can in a day. Also, use hand sanitizer every time after you use a lift.

• Myth 4:
  A mosquito bite can transmit coronavirus:

  Myth Buster:

  The novel Corona Virus can not be transmitted by mosquito, at least there is no evidence till now. The new coronavirus is basically a respiratory virus that spread through droplets generated by sneezing and coughing of an affected human being. The saliva of the infected person is another thing that can transmit this disease.

• Myth 5:
  Hand dryers are effective in killing Novel Corona.

  Myth Buster:

  This is not true. Hand dryers are not at all effective in killing the 2019-nCoV. The only way to protect yourself against the new coronavirus is by cleaning your hands more frequently. Once your hands are clean, pat them dry with a paper towel, or use a warm air dryer.

• Myth 6:
  The ultraviolet disinfectant lamp can kill coronavirus

  Myth Buster:

  It can only harm your body since UV radiation can cause skin irritation. Thermal screening is the only way to detect this disease. UV lights cannot help in any way.

• Myth 7:
  UV scanner can be used to detect the infection.

  Myth Buster:

  Only thermal scanners can be effective in detecting people with fever, whether they are infected with Corona or not. However, if an infected person is not sick or does not have a fever, this scanner cannot detect them. People can develop the symptoms only after 2 to 14 days of being infected.

• Myth 8:
  Spraying alcohol or chlorine can kill the new coronavirus.

  Myth Buster:

  Spraying alcohol can do nothing to the viruses that have already entered into your body. This is true that both alcohol and chlorine and disinfect the surface, but it can be harmful if they go inside your eyes or mouth while spraying.

• Myth 9:
  Vaccines against pneumonia can protect you from coronavirus.

  Myth Buster:

  Sadly, this is not true. Pneumonia is just a symptom of this deadly virus and no vaccine against Pneumonia (Pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B) can protect against the new coronavirus.
  The fact is, the virus is so different that it needs its own vaccine and the researches are still ongoing to invent a vaccine against 2019-nCoV.

• Myth 10:
  Rinsing nose with saline water can prevent infection with new Coronavirus.

  Myth Buster:

  Rinsing the nose with saline water can help people recover from a common cold, but 2019-nCoV is a completely new virus, and it is mainly affecting the respiratory infection. There is no evidence that a rinsing nose with saline water can help you with the respiratory issues.

• Myth 11:
  Eating garlic can prevent infection.

  Myth Buster:

  Eating garlic regularly is no doubt a healthy practice, but it does not have any link with preventing coronavirus, at least it is not proved till now.

• Myth 12:
  Antibiotics and medicines can treat the new coronavirus.

  Myth Buster:

  Antibiotics are effective against bacteria, not against any virus, and therefore, the new coronavirus-2019 cannot be treated with any type of antibiotic.
  However, infected persons are given antibiotics only to prevent bacterial co-infection.
  To date, no specific medicine has been discovered/invented. The medicines can be used to relieve the symptoms, but they cannot heal the condition.

8. When to use masks:

• If you are healthy, you should wear a mask only when you are taking care of an individual with suspected nCov infection.
• Use a mask if you are sneezing and coughing.
• Remember, masks are effective only when you wear it in combination with frequent hands cleaning with alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Don’t be panic-stricken. Keep calm and take the right protective measures to stay healthy.