COVID-19 coronavirus
The following precautions are recommended. These are the same precautions used for influenza seasons, except for the mask and gloves.
1) NO HANDSHAKING! Use a fist bump, slight bow, elbow bump, etc.
2) Use ONLY your knuckle to touch light switches, elevator buttons, etc. Lift gasoline dispensers with a paper towel or use a disposable glove.
3) Open doors with your closed fist or hip – do not grasp the handle with your hand, unless there is no other way to open the door. Especially important for bathroom and commercial doors.
4) Use disinfectant wipes at the stores when available, including wiping the handle and child seat in grocery carts.
5) Wash your hands with soap for 10-20 seconds and/or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever you return home from ANY activity that involves locations where other people have been.
6) Keep a bottle of sanitizer available at each of your home’s entrances. Also in your car after getting gas or touching other contaminated objects when you can’t immediately wash your hands.
7) If possible, cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow only if you have to. The clothing on your elbow will contain infectious virus that can be passed on for up to one week or more!
In preparation for the pandemic, keep the following items in stock:
A) Latex or nitrile-latex disposable gloves for use when shopping; using the gasoline pump and all other outside activity when you come in contact with contaminated areas.
Note: This virus is spread in large droplets by coughing and sneezing. This means that air will not infect you! BUT all the surfaces where these droplets land are infectious for about a week on average – everything that is associated with infected people will be contaminated and potentially infectious. The virus is on surfaces and you will not be infected unless your unprotected face is directly coughed or sneezed upon. This virus only has cell receptors for lung cells (it only infects the lungs).The only way for the virus to infect you is through your nose or mouth via your hands or an infected cough or sneeze onto your nose or mouth.
B) Stock up now with disposable surgical masks and use them to prevent yourself from touching your nose and/or mouth (We touch our nose/mouth 90 x/day without knowing it!). This is the only way this virus can infect you – it is lung-specific. The mask will not prevent the virus in a direct sneeze from getting into your nose or mouth – it is only to keep you from touching your nose or mouth.
C) Stock up now with hand sanitizers and latex/nitrile gloves (get the appropriate sizes for your family). The hand sanitizers must be alcohol-based and greater than 60% alcohol to be effective.
D) Stock up now with zinc lozenges. These lozenges have been proven effective in blocking coronavirus (and most other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx. Use as directed several times each day when you begin to feel ANY “cold-like” symptoms. It is best to lie down and let the lozenge dissolve in the back of your throat and nasopharynx. Cold-Eeze lozenges is one brand available; but there are other brands as well.
Humans have never seen this snake-associated virus before and have no internal defence against it. Tremendous worldwide efforts are being made to understand the molecular and clinical virology of this virus. Considerable molecular knowledge about the genomics, structure and virulence of this virus has already been achieved. BUT, there will be NO drugs or vaccines available this year to protect us or limit the infection within us. Only symptomatic support is available. Hopefully, these recommendations will be helpful during this potentially catastrophic pandemic.
You are welcome to share this message.
Regards, Buzz Brackenreid.
Editor, BIABuzz.
Click here to connect to Toronto’s COVID daily report.