As we all await the final results of this ongoing pandemic, cowering in fear as we lock ourselves down away from society might save us now but will cause more damage later on especially to our mental health.
So why don’t we get to know the new virus causing the pandemic better. Who knows, one of you guys reading this article may just be the one who will be able to think of a global solution to this worldwide threat.
Reading through different websites (World Health Organization, Australian Government Department of Health, Health NSW, health and medical journals and the like) here are some simple truths about the virus.
- The current pandemic is caused by a new strain of corona virus (the usual culprit for our common colds and flu). That’s why they called it the novel corona virus – or the “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” or SARS-CoV-2. When it attaches to our cells, our bodies try to expel it with different reactions like coughing and raising our body’s temperature – these are the symptoms of the disease now called COVID-19 especially when you experience shortness of breath.
- The virus is NOT air borne – meaning it does not float in the air when it is expelled. The origin of the new strain is still debatable to date (bats, fish market, or even pangolins). However, it is clear that it directly affects our respiratory system. You can get infected by being in contact with droplets coming from the nose or the mouth of an infected person. These droplets may enter our mouths and nasal passages if the infected person speaks really close to us – that’s why social distancing of one and a half (1.5) meters is important. A personal protective equipment (PPE) such as a facial mask may be useful in situations when you have to be at close proximity to another person. It may also be a good precaution to scratch your nose or the areas around your mouth over the face mask when it’s absolutely necessary. But because droplets fall on several surfaces and may last for 6-9 hours, it is imperative that one should continue to disinfect surfaces and thoroughly washing your hands (at least 20 seconds).
- Water does not flush the virus to the stomach. When the virus enters our body, it merges with our cells and multiplies into the body with a specific target – our respiratory system. This means that the main points of entrance is our nose through our nasal passages and the mouth. The best way to prevent the virus to enter these passages is to wash our hands thoroughly because it’s the first contact point for the infected droplets are our hands. Our hands usually transfer the virus from the infected surfaces when we scratch out faces or pick our noses. The virus, being part protein and coated with fat dissolves with soap when we wash our hands.
- Heat does not kill the novel coronavirus. There had been posts on social media that since the virus cannot survive in extreme heat, pointing a hair dryer to your nostrils to use the heat for drying hair may kill the virus. First, since a virus is considered a non-living thing - it cannot be killed. Second, using such heat may destroy your nose cells before the virus. Going to the sauna is also not a good option aside from the fact that prolonged exposure to such heat will dehydrate you, it is also going against the mandate of social distancing – unless you own your own sauna. It is a fact that the virus can not withstand temperatures exceeding 40-50 degrees but to date, the proper exposure to such high levels of heat may still be in the works. This also means that the coming summer does not guarantee that the virus will disappear. Note that there are a number of cases in warm countries which corroborates this fact.
- People CAN recover from COVID-19. This is good news for people who have a healthy immune system. Proper rest and strengthening and supportive treatment can help the infected recover from the disease. However, for people who have pre-existing conditions like heart disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, depression and anxiety, it may be more challenging because their physical condition is already compromised, and their mental health may need more help in coping with the disease.
If one does not want to get the virus, the steps are simple: observe proper hygiene (especially washing hands regularly), observe social distancing (1.5 meters away from the other person), avoid converging in large groups, keep healthy by eating the right food, exercising and getting the proper amount of sleep. One of the major causes of infection is ignorance so try to read more updates on the pandemic to arm yourself with the correct information to help solve the problem. Until then, keep safe.
If you think that you need help in coping with this pandemic, contact Quarterlife Counselling whose giving free counselling until April.