Things you can do to contain the spread of Coronavirus

Things you can do to contain the spread of Coronavirus

Background

A series of continuing trends have led to increasing frequency of infectious disease outbreaks within the past twenty years. Among them are the smoking habit,unhealthy fast food,obesity,high level of global travel, trade and connectivity and high density living.But it is the links to climate change and biodiversity that are most striking.

Climate change has altered and accelerated the transmission patterns of infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue, and Zika,While biodiversity and the continued movement of large groups of people to new locations in search of work,travel and holidays,often under poor conditions, increases the increases the vulnerability to biological threats such as diarrhoea diseases and acute respiratory infections such as  SARS,MERS and now COVID-19 Coronavirus.

During this time there has also been medical breakthroughs and advances in public health systems.Up to now these have contained the effects of these infections through the success of countermeasures such as vaccines,antivirals and antibiotics, which have greatly reduced the risk of massive loss of life.

Two areas of research technologies we are told are gene-coded antibodies for specific pathogens like SARS and MERS,or monoclonal antibodies,typically used to treat existing disease,  

Research progress has been made in a vaccine,after the 2014/16 Ebola epidemic.But the  scale of COVID -19 outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan in December 2019 has taken health care systems unprepared to properly respond.
                                                       

What we are seeing is unpreparedness

As the full impact of COVID-19 is now beginning to become apparent from various angles,from a health,community, business and economic perspective, a continuing fear is settling in. 

The health and safety,not just of our nearest and dearest,but the wider community, has become an absolute priority.

1. Tele-health visits have suddenly boomed overnight,as doctors and patients embrace 

    "social distancing" amid this crisis.

2. Pharmacies are struggling to keep key medication stocked as demand surges amid this 

    panic.

3. Eating is once again framed as a moral act.Bulk buying has been a quirk among some,   

    with heavy focus of hysterical greed in shops,with long queues outside supermarkets.

4. With the lockdown in many parts of the world and curfews in others, people have no 

    idea what's coming up next. They can't eat out,so they are stocking their larders,that

    is, if supermarket shelves are not raided, or if rationing is not introduced. 

5. With "just in time" delivery systems in place,supermarkets carry minimal stocks, buying

    only what it needs at a given time,to save on the cost of storage. It is a cost effective

    and efficient,highly profitable model,as long as imports are freely flowing. A weakness

    in the supply chain is that it is so unfairly and unequally distributed across the      

    population.  

6. Loneliness and housebound brings more fear than the virus for the vulnerable and for 

    young children. As well as being fearful of catching the virus,another prospect that            haunts many,is that feel the solitude, a huge effect on mental and physical health. We

    can expect a higher number of deaths among the elderly not directly linked to 

    Coronavirus. 

A long battle ahead

One of the emotions that prevails at the moment is confusion. When will life return to normal? 

UK Prime Minister,Boris Johnson has said he believes a possible exit strategy to the pandemic "can turn the tide" within 12 weeks. While President Donald Trump has suggested "US can open up again fairly soon". However,health experts are much more cautious. 

Lifting restrictions to alleviate the economic and social damage of a prolonged period of lockdown could risk a second wave.

How to stay financially sound is on everyone's mind. We all know this is not Wuhan, This is not disappearing in the next three weeks,no matter how we wish it.It is estimated it could take up to 18 months at least to find a vaccine and test it for COVID-19, according to researchers at Imperial College,London. 

What are some ways we can take care of ourselves in the meantme? 

1. Those who are highly immune suppressed who are on certain medication should 

    consider other options, such as buying online, or having someone else shop for them,

    or get the Chemist/Pharmacy to deliver it to their homes.

2. People before leaving home to do shopping should have a solid plan of action of what 

    they are going to buy and prioritise what they need. People, if at all possible, should 

    try to think in terms of buying at least two weeks worth, so they can minimise the

    number of trips for shopping.

3. Social distancing is fine,perhaps, simply diverting attention or turning one's head is 

    one way of avoiding direct contact.They should also think about what they touch in the

    store.One of the riskiest moments during a shopping "excursion" is paying at the 

    cashiers till not with cash, but with a Debit Card,thereby reducing the risk of handling 

    contaminated notes and lose coins,if at all possible.

4. One of the things not mentioned up to now is after arriving home,take off your shoes,

    slippers.Droplets containing the virus fall on the ground ,where they can picked up by 

    feet. Extensive washing of both feet as well as hands is recommended.

5. Keep abreast of what is happening around you as well as around the world. Much can 

    be learned from Scientists studying how viruses are transmitted. 

6. Saving live and protecting the economy is the job for the nation.

Victor Cherubim