How to Prepare for the Coronavirus

The coronavirus continues to spread in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the United States and other countries.

By following some basic steps, you can reduce your risk and protect others.

Here are what you can do:

Wash your hands frequently

Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water to kill viruses that may be on your hands.

Wet your hands with clean running water and then lather them with soap; do not miss the backs of your hands, between your fingers or under your nails. Make sure to scrub for at least 20 seconds and dry them with a clean towel or let them air dry.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers, which should be rubbed in for about 20 seconds, can also work, but the gel must contain at least 60 percent alcohol.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Hands touch many surfaces and can 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 can make you sick.

Practice respiratory hygiene

Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze so as to avoid leaving germs on your hands, which can then quickly spread to other surfaces, then dispose of the used tissue immediately.

Meanwhile, if someone else is showing flu- or cold-like symptoms, try to stay six feet away as the virus might spread through droplets in the air from a cough or sneeze.

Stay home if you are sick

Protect other people from infection by being extra cautious if you are not feeling well.

Coronavirus starts deep in the lungs and the most common signs are fever and dry cough, followed by fatigue and shortness of breath. If you have any of these symptoms, please make every effort to remain at home.

Still, if you are sick, do not travel. Pregnant women and others with compromised immune systems should also think twice about nonessential travel.

When to use face masks

Face masks have become almost synonymous with the coronavirus outbreak. But they do not do much to protect you — most surgical masks are too loose to prevent inhalation of the virus. And so unless you are already infected, face masks will not help.

But if you are infected, masks can help prevent the spread of a virus.

Actually, the infectious disease specialists do not recommend face masks if you are healthy. If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are a health care worker or are caring for sick people at home or in a health care facility or when you are coughing or sneezing.

Masks will not help against the spread of the coronavirus but will take away important resources from health care professionals.

Also, masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning.

Others

Alcohol is a good disinfectant for coronaviruses to keep surfaces in your home clean.

Most important: Do not panic. While the outbreak is a serious public health concern, the majority of those who contract the coronavirus do not become seriously ill. Only a small percentage require intensive care.

Another good news is that coronavirus cases in children have been very rare.