Six months ago, no one knew about the existence of coronavirus. Now the virus has spread to almost all countries, infecting more than 3 million people - and these are only those cases that are known. How this epidemic will affect the economies of countries, as well as the mental and physical health of people, is described in a new issue.
Many media personalities, politicians and ordinary Internet users claim that the panic around COVID-19 is bloated out of nothing, and the virus itself is no more dangerous than ordinary flu.
The supposedly frightening number of people who died from the infection is very high, and those who died of natural causes and old age are included in it. And coronavirus, like seasonal flu, kills the time required to estimate the case fatality ratio of Influenza using only the tip of an iceberg: joint estimation of the virulence and the transmission potential "only" about 0.1 percent of infected. So, this is not so.
A new study, an empirical estimate of the infection fatality rate of COVID-19 from the first Italian outbreak, published by specialists from Harvard and the US Bureau of Economic Research, has more accurately established the mortality rate of COVID-19 using Italy as an example. It was established that the official number of deaths from coronavirus is not exaggerated, but rather underestimated by COVID-19 in Italy: An analysis of death registry data almost doubled, because many patients did not die in hospitals, but at home.
After reviewing the available data, researchers Gianluca Rinaldi and Matteo Paradisi came to the conclusion that an empirical estimate of the infection fatality rate of COVID-19 from the first Italian outbreak shows that the mortality rate of COVID-19 is 1.29%. For young people, it is small - 0.05%, but for older people the risk is already 4.25%.
You should not hope that life will immediately return to its former course.
We all wait until the moment when we can hug friends, have a party or go on a trip. But do not rush. Although Coronavirus: Austria and Italy reopen some shops as lockdown eased are showing the first signs of weakening isolation measures, the situation is still serious. The death toll every day is still measured in thousands. We still do not know much about coronavirus and do not have a vaccine.
Whatever rules you enter in your area, use common sense. Here's what you definitely shouldn't do.
1. Have a party or go to a bar
Social distance measures have been introduced for a reason: they slow down the spread of the virus from person to person. A big party or gatherings in a crowded bar is a lot of contacts. If at least one of those present is a coronavirus carrier, he can transfer it to everyone else.
2. Stop washing hands
Even when restrictions are loosened, it will not mean that the coronavirus is over. Many organizations and stores will have to be reopened for economic reasons, although the virus will still spread, albeit more slowly than now.
3. Immediately visit people at high risk
Surely you would like to see elderly relatives as soon as possible, but do not rush with this. There will be no vaccine for a long time, and for people at risk, distancing is still the best way to protect. Before you go to them, think carefully about whether you really need this visit.
4. Start a big trip
When travel is allowed again, hotel and ticket prices are likely to be attractively low. But do not forget that at airports and train stations you will be in close proximity to a large number of people, which means that the risk of infection will greatly increase.
5. Throw away masks
In the future, a new outbreak of coronavirus or even some completely new infection may await us. So reusable masks are definitely not worth throwing out. When travel restrictions are loosened, it is best to combine optimism with realism. Use freedom, but do not give up precautions.
These simple rules will help you stay healthy at your workplace during the coronavirus.
- Keep the social distance.
When you walk fast, run, ride a bicycle, it can increase to 4–20 meters.
If you keep such a distance with others, the smallest droplets of saliva that will not reach you when talking, coughing, breathing will cause another, possibly infected person. And you, in turn, do not share your own.
2. Try changing your work schedule.
Your task is to make it possible to get to work and leave it before or after rush hour. In this case, you don’t have to jostle in crowded public transport or walk along crowded streets where it is difficult to maintain distance.
Talk to your boss: maybe you will meet and shift your working hours.
3. Use less public transport
If possible, get to the place of work by your car or bike or walk. Naturally, at a safe distance from others.
And try not to use elevators. Even if the cab comes empty, you don’t know who was riding it 10 seconds before you. The virus can still remain in the air.
4. Wear a mask on the way to work
On the street, if you are absolutely healthy, and there are few people around, you can walk without it. But only if the authorities of your region do not require otherwise.
5. Wear a mask in the workplace
You need to wear it all day for your safety.
At the same time, you need to wear a mask correctly. Here's what the WHO recommends:
- Do not touch the mask with your hands after putting it on. If you still touch, wash your hands with soap or treat with an antiseptic gel.
- As soon as the mask becomes wet from breathing, replace it with a new one. Usually you have to do this every two hours.
- Only remove the mask by the mounts. In no case do not touch the part that is adjacent to the face. After this, the disposable medical mask should be immediately discarded, the reusable - sent to the wash.
6. Disinfect hands
The primary transmission route for coronaviruses is via airborne droplets. But there is a risk of contracting by the contact way: first, touch the surface on which the coronavirus donkeys, and then touch the mucous membrane of the nose, mouth, or eyes.
Therefore, it is extremely important to wash your hands regularly during a pandemic. Best of all - with warm water and soap, at least 20 seconds. If there is no access to water, you can treat your hands with an antiseptic or alcohol wipes. Make sure that the alcohol in these products was at least 70%.
The coronavirus pandemic forces most people to dramatically change their daily routine, given to the isolation measures taken by the authorities. It is important to organize our time correctly and have a productive quarantine.
5 important elements in a day's program!
In this written schedule we must keep in mind, in writing, five elements daily:
• Basic activities (eg hygiene, meal, study / service, interpersonal relationship, play / relaxation, sleep). •Psychologists stress the importance of dieting "which needs to be controlled rigorously to be healthy" and sports activities, both of which contribute to maintaining good health.
•At least one behavior that we enjoy: watching a movie / reading a book / sport, etc.
•At least one defining behavior in our personality: "If we are sociable / extroverted, we can call for social support those who need it."
•At least one behavior related to our set of values / principles and then we focus on making decisions: "If generosity is a value for you, you can volunteer to help in this period," details the psychologist.
Socializing behaviors seen as an antidote to stress: “Physical isolation does not mean psychosocial isolation. In this process of socialization, although it is good to plan many activities together in the couple / family, it must be left a personal space, ”explains David.
The program must be checked, that’s the best way to respect the schedule.
The psychologist states that "it is important for someone to check us, once or twice a day, that we follow and implement the schedule, especially for those of us who know we have difficulties in self-discipline. This supportive monitoring is fundamental especially for the elderly in isolation and can be done by relatives or friends. " If the schedule is not implemented effectively, David recommends "we analyze the causes, eliminate them and redo it until it becomes accepted."
"These practices will become a new healthy routine of life, some things can be kept then in the post-crisis period!", Concludes the psychologist.
You can’t find a protective mask in pharmacies or it’s price is hitting you? If you want to protect yourself, a mask to cover the mouth and nose can be made at home. However, a textile mask is not as effective as a surgical one, but it is very useful during this period. If you do not know how to sew, with a scissors, a piece of material and two hair bands you can make a protective mask.
The American Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) has reverted to previous recommendations made in the context of the pandemic and currently believes that wearing simple masks in textiles could slow the spread of coronavirus.
Instructions for making your home a protective mask
The material used should be cut in such a way that it is wide and long enough to cover your nose and mouth
The material should be bent at length.
At each end tie a hair elastic.
Bring the ends tied inwards.
Arrange the mask near the mouth and nose and fasten the elastics behind the ears.
It is important to know:
•Simple surgical masks have a much higher protection than textiles.
• Even if we wear a mask, we must keep at least 3 steps away from the others.
•We disinfect / wash our hands before and after putting on our masks and do not touch them when wearing them.
•After each use, the textile masks must be washed: a washing machine is sufficient.
•Such textile masks are especially useful in places where physical distance is difficult to maintain: queues, small shops or pharmacies, crowded means of transport, etc.
• This recommendation can be used as an additional public health measure.
• The CDC emphasizes that textile masks should not be worn by children under 2 years of age or by persons with respiratory problems.
• The materials from which the textile masks are made do not sufficiently protect the hospital environment.
•The World Health Organization strongly recommends wearing surgical masks or special protective masks in the hospital environment.
The daily toll of new coronavirus cases worldwide has reached a new record of more than 150,000, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the World Health Organization (WHO), said on Friday, warning that the pandemic is accelerating, the DPA reports.
Nearly half of the new infections reported by WHO on Wednesday came from the Americas, while rising numbers came from South Asia and the Middle East.
The world is in a new and dangerous phase, the WHO director-general told a news conference in Geneva.
"There is an increased risk because many people no longer want to be isolated in their homes, and governments are eager to reopen their societies and economies," he said.
"We call on all states and all people to be extremely vigilant," added Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.