The Coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019. The World Health Organization declared it as a global pandemic, also describing it as a public health emergency of international concern due to the rapidly spreading virus.

How Does It Spread :

The virus is primarily spread between people similar to influenza, via respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing or by contact with contaminated hands, surfaces or objects. It is considered most contagious when people are symptomatic, although transmission may be possible before symptoms appear. The time between exposure and when symptoms first appear is typically five days, but may range from two to fourteen days in some cases.

How long does COVID-19 last on surfaces?

According to the World Health Organization, it is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses may stay on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. temperature or humidity of the environment, type of surface).

If you think a surface may be contaminated, clean it with a common household disinfectant to kill the virus and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub (with over 60% alcohol content) or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose with hands.

Symptoms of Coronavirus :

Common signs of infection with the new coronavirus include fever, cough, shortness of breath, breathing difficulties and other symptoms.

In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia with severe acute respiratory distress.

How to Protect Yourself and Your Family from Coronavirus :

The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. While there’s no vaccine to prevent the infection, there are still things you can do to protect yourself. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. To better prepare yourself and your family, please note the following tips.

Clean your hands often

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Clean and disinfect

• Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
• If surfaces are dirty, clean them: Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.

Avoid close contact

• Totally avoid close contact with people who are sick or show symptoms
• Put distance between yourself and other people (about 6 feet), if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting the illness.

Social distancing

Social distancing includes infection control actions intended to slow the spread of disease by minimizing close contact between individuals. Methods include quarantines; travel restrictions; and the closing of schools, workplaces, stadiums, theaters, or shopping centers. Individuals may also apply social distancing methods by staying at home, limiting travel, avoiding crowded areas, not shaking hands, and physically distancing themselves from others.

Stay home if you’re sick

• Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care. Learn what to do if you are sick.

Cover coughs and sneezes

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
• Throw used tissues in the trash.
• Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Use the right cleaning supplies

When it comes to supplies like mops or sponges, make sure you’re not accidentally spreading infection by reusing dirty items. Stick with disposable wipes or cloths. If you do reuse sponges and cloths, they should be washed in hot water and dried on the hottest setting after each use to remove chances of contamination. Also, when using disinfectants, please follow manufacturer instructions carefully. Some cleaning fluids may need to sit wet on a surface for a certain number of minutes to be effective.

Don’t forget to clean electronics

Your phone or tablet could be an infected surface hiding in plain sight, which you might ignore. Phones often travel everywhere with us throughout the day, potentially picking up germs all along the way. Use an alcohol wipe, or just warm soap and water, to regularly clean the surfaces of your phone and tablet. Also, don’t forget to regularly disinfect shared electronics in the home, like computer keyboards, landline phones, remote controls etc.

Tips for the kitchen

Practice common sense when it comes to hygienic food preparation. Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly and make sure people who are sick don’t come into close contact with any shared food.

Tips for the bathroom

Bathrooms are a “high-priority focus” when it comes to keeping yourself and your family safe from the contagious virus.

• Frequently clean all surfaces, including the toilet, shower and sink
• Keep toothbrushes separate from each other and make sure they do not touch each other
• Regularly wash hand and bath towels, and don’t share towels with a sick person

Be smart about travel

The CDC updates its travel advisory information frequently. The federal government uses a four-level scale to rank risk. Level 1 equals the lowest risk, and Level 4, the highest.

Travelers should avoid contact with sick people and clean their hands often by washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 60%-95% alcohol. Check your health insurance to see if it includes international travel coverage, the CDC recommends. Also, consider travel health insurance and medical evacuation insurance. Avoid or cancel all non-essential travel.