How to avoid Coronavirus infection? What precautionary measures to take in order not to risk becoming infected with Covid-19? Here are nine simple tips to follow in order to better prevent infection:
1. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds – As stated in the booklet, it is important that your hands be washed with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. The recommended alternative is to use a 60 percent alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Washing eliminates the virus.
2. Avoid close contact with people who suffer from acute respiratory infections – If you then notice that you are close to people who suffer from acute respiratory infections, and therefore have great breathing difficulties, it is good to avoid close contact. The ministry recommends keeping a distance of at least one meter from the people in question, especially when they cough, sneeze or have a fever. The virus is contained in saliva droplets and can be transmitted at close range.
3. Do not touch your eyes, nose and mouth unless you have washed your hands – Coronavirus can be transmitted by the respiratory tract but not only. People can also become infected through the eyes, nose and mouth. It is therefore important not to touch these parts of the body if you have not washed your hands well before. This is because the hands can come into contact with surfaces contaminated by the virus which is then transmitted on contact.
4. Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing – If you are about to cough or sneeze, you should cover your face – and therefore your mouth and nose – with a disposable handkerchief or, at most, with your elbow . However, it is not recommended to cover your mouth and nose with your hands, as they could contaminate objects, or people, with whom you come into contact.
5. Do not use antibiotics unless advised by your doctor – Antibiotics are not a good means of preventing or treating the virus. This is because antibiotics fight bacteria and Coronavirus is, in fact, a virus. This indication ceases to have value when a doctor gives different indications or when other bacterial infections occur.
6. Clean surfaces with alcohol-based disinfectants – The Ministry of Health recommends cleaning surfaces thoroughly with chemical bleach-based disinfectants, 75 percent ethanol or chloroform. In this way, the Coronavirus present on objects is killed.
7. Use the mask only if sick or while caring for sick people – The use of the mask is recommended only if you suspect you have contracted Coronavirus, with the presence of cough or sneezing, or take care of people who may have it. The indication is given by the WHO (World Health Organization) which recommends to be careful in cases where people have recently come back from China.
8. No danger of made in China products or incoming parcels – Coronavirus cannot be contracted with the reception of parcels from China. The WHO says that explains how the virus is not able to survive for a long time on the surfaces on which it settles. To date, in fact, there are no obvious cases concerning the infection of people through objects produced in China and in other parts of the world.
9. No danger from animals – To date there is no clear evidence that pets can be infected with Coronavirus. Dogs and cats, for example, would seem immune to the Chinese virus. For greater safety, however, it is advisable to always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after coming into contact with them.
