17/06/2020
NEW NORMAL
Finally something practical and honest from Dr. Faheem Younus, the Chief of the Infectious Diseases Clinic, University of Maryland, USA:
1. We may have to live with COVID-19 for months or years. Let's not deny it or panic. Let's not make our lives useless. Let's learn to live with this fact.
2. You can't destroy coronaviruses that have penetrated cell walls, drinking gallons of hot water - you'll just go to the bathroom more often.
3. Washing hands, wearing face mask/face shield and maintaining a two-meter physical distance is the best method for your protection.
4. If you don't have a COVID-19 patient at home, there's no need to disinfect the surfaces at your house.
5. Packaged cargo, gas pumps, shopping carts and ATMs do not cause infection. Wash your hands, live your life as usual.
6. You cannot catch COVID-19 from the packaging of food or from ordering take-out food. COVID-19 is not a food-borne infection like Salmonella. It is a droplet-related infection like the ‘flu. There is no demonstrated risk that C19 is transmitted by food.
7. You can temporarily lose your sense of smell with a lot of allergies and viral infections. It's a non-specific symptom that may or may not happen with COVID-19.
8. Taking hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin preemptively is NOT a good idea to prevent COVID. These experimental drugs for coronavirus should only be used in selected COVID patients. They can sometimes cause fatal heart rhythm problems plus other side effects.
9. Once at home, you don't need to change your clothes urgently and go shower! Cleanliness is a virtue, paranoia isn't! Let's not scare people. Our biggest return on investment is in handwashing, staying 6 feet away from people, avoiding large crowd and wearing face mask.
10. The C19 virus doesn't hang in the air for long. This is a respiratory droplet infection that requires close contact.
11. The air is clean, you can walk through the gardens (just keeping your physical protection distance), through parks.
12. It is sufficient to use normal soap against C19, not antibacterial soap. This is a virus, not a bacteria.
13. You don't have to worry about your food orders. But you can heat it all up in the microwave, if you wish.
14. The chances of bringing C19 home with your shoes is like being struck by lightning twice in a day. I've been working against viruses for 20 years - droplet infections don't spread like that!
15. You can't be protected from the virus by taking vinegar, sugarcane juice and ginger! These are for immunity not a cure.
16. Wearing a mask for long periods interferes with your breathing and oxygen levels. Wear it only in crowds.
17. Wearing face shield is a better option than face mask. It protects the eyes and is less suffocating.
18. Wearing gloves is also a bad idea; the virus can accumulate into the glove and be easily transmitted if you touch your face. Better just to wash your hands regularly.
Immunity is greatly weakened by always staying in a sterile environment. Even if you eat immunity boosting foods, please go out of your house regularly to any park/beach.
Immunity is increased by EXPOSURE TO PATHOGENS, not by sitting at home and consuming fried/spicy/sugary/junk foods and aerated drinks.
Live life sensibly and to the fullest. Be smart and stay informed!
-— Galli Viaña
Ctto
