Some Questions & Answers about COVID 19..
1). What is social distancing?
Stated simply, social distancing means maintaining a distance between you and other people – one metre to two metres – and minimizing contact with people. In other words, assume everyone around you could be infected.
2). What does self-isolation mean?
Self-isolation requires you to stay at home, monitor for symptoms, and avoid contact with other people for 14 days, according to the Government of Canada website.
EXPECTATIONS FOR THOSE WHO ARE SELF-ISOLATING INCLUDE:
Staying home from work and school;
Avoiding public transportation;
Arranging to have supplies, such as groceries, dropped off at their doors;
Especially avoiding elderly people and anyone with compromised immune systems or chronic conditions;
Keeping any unavoidable interactions with other people brief, maintaining at least two metres’ distance from them and wearing a mask.
ADVICE FOR ENHANCED HYGIENE MEASURES FOR THOSE SELF-ISOLATING AT HOME INCLUDE:
Frequent hand-washing, avoid touching their faces;
coughing and sneezing only into the bend of their arm;
and disinfecting surfaces at least once daily.
Those in self-isolation are advised to get lots of rest and eat a balanced diet. They are to monitor themselves for symptoms and immediately get in touch with their health-care provider or with public-health authorities if those symptoms worsen.
AND SOME TIPS TO MAINTAIN YOUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS:
Give your days some structure: Shower daily & If you work from home, make a separate space for work. Try meditation.
Don’t just binge Netflix; lift a little: Paul Landini suggests body-weight exercises or skipping rope to get in some cardio.
When you do need a break, try one of these 10 books that offer lessons from past pandemics or consult Barry Hertz’s guide to the best Canadian streaming options.
3). What is self-monitoring?
According to the Government of Canada website, self-monitoring is for people who do not have symptoms but have possible exposure to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days. Self-monitoring means to monitor for one or more symptoms but to go about your normal day while increasing space from others and avoiding crowded places.
4). What does “flattening the curve” mean?
When diseases reach uninfected populations, a graph of the new infections will generally follow a curve: Infections rise, then peak, then fall.
Officials talk about “flattening the curve,” or preventing the peak infections from exceeding their health systems’ ability to handle them.
5). What is community spread?
Community spread is when a sick person transmits the coronavirus to someone in the community. Community spread is more problematic than “imported” cases – meaning a traveller contracted the illness in another country and returned home sick – because cases can multiply quickly.
6). What is a pandemic?
On March 11, the World Health Organization’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared coronavirus a pandemic, by which point the coronavirus was in more than 110 countries.
When the WHO last revised its guidelines for pandemics, it didn’t include a single, quotable definition of what a pandemic is. Instead, it described six phases from initial infections to pandemic, each giving national health authorities advice about what to do as the urgency increased:
*Animals are infected with a disease, but not humans.
*Some humans are infected with the disease.
Small clusters of the disease have been reported, but not human-to-human transition.
*Human-to-human transmission has been verified and is able to cause sustained community-level outbreaks.
*The virus has caused sustained community-level outbreaks in two or more countries in one WHO region. This stage can also serve as a signal that a pandemic is imminent.
*Additionally to 5, the disease has caused sustained outbreaks in at least one other country or WHO region. It’s only at this stage that it can be considered a pandemic.
7). What is coronavirus?
The new illness that emerged last December in China – officially called COVID-19 – is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. The coronavirus that is making global headlines, SARS-CoV-2, is “novel” because it has never been seen in humans, meaning everyone is susceptible to infection.
COVID-19 has a higher mortality rate than the flu: About 3.4 per cent by recent estimates, which is lower than SARS (10 per cent) but much higher than seasonal influenza (0.1 per cent).
On average, it takes about five days for people infected with COVID-19 to show symptoms, according to a U.S.-based team’s estimates published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The incubation period for SARS was much longer, about 10 days.
In recent years, we have seen two other novel coronaviruses emerge – Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012. There are four other coronaviruses that circulate routinely – OC43, 229E, HKU1, NL63 – which generally cause colds.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER VIRUSES?
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. The coronavirus that is making global headlines, SARS-CoV-2, is “novel” because it has never been seen in humans, meaning everyone is susceptible to infection. In recent years, we have seen two other novel coronaviruses emerge – Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012. There are four other coronaviruses that circulate routinely – OC43, 229E, HKU1, NL63 – which generally cause colds.
8). What are the symptoms?
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can cause an illness known as COVID-19. The symptoms include fever and dry cough.
Unlike a common cold, people with COVID-19 generally do not have a runny nose or a sore throat.
According to a large study in China, the vast majority of those infected with the novel coronavirus:
*81 per cent of patients have mild symptoms
*14 per cent of patients had severe symptoms, including trouble breathing
*Just under 5 per cent of patients suffered critical illness, meaning they needed to be on a respirator.
It is not yet clear how deadly COVID-19 is because many mild cases have likely gone undetected. The treatment is the same – you treat the symptoms with fever-reducing medication such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and bed rest. You should not treat fever with ASA-based painkillers such as Aspirin, especially in children. Antibiotics do not help; they only work for bacterial illnesses.
9). Isn’t the flu worse?
In sheer numbers, influenza has a much greater impact than coronavirus. Of the billions who contract the flu every year, about three to five million require hospitalization, and somewhere between 290,000 and 650,000 die – compared to roughly 100,000 cases and 3,500 deaths from COVID-19.
Influenza is a serious respiratory illness that harms a lot of people every year; public health officials around the world have mobilized because they hope to prevent a second respiratory illness from taking hold and returning every winter. So it’s not an either-or issue. On an individual level, we can get vaccinated against the flu as a way of easing the burden on the health system that could be challenged by an influx of COVID-19 cases.
10). Can someone without symptoms spread the virus?
There is a lot of debate about the role of so-called asymptomatic carriers. There is no question that some people can be infected, have no obvious symptoms and still infect others. What is unclear is how big a risk this poses. It’s important to keep these technical debates in perspective and remember that infected people can definitely infect you, so focus on keeping your distance from people who have symptoms such as a dry cough and fever.
11). Can you be infected with coronavirus more than once?
There is some evidence that people can be reinfected. We don’t know yet if the coronavirus will mutate, making people susceptible in the future, as happens with influenza. But that’s the least of your worries. We should focus on not getting infected in the first place, by practising good hygiene and social distancing.
12). Can you contract coronavirus in Antarctica?
Oddly, several people have asked this question.
Coronavirus needs a human host, so it can spread person-to-person anywhere in the world. However, Antarctica has not permanent settlements; the only residents are in scientific bases so there is little opportunity for large gatherings.
Also implied in the question is whether coronavirus can spread where it’s cold. It can, in fact. Respiratory viruses spread more easily in winter conditions because people tend to huddle outdoors. But, so, far, Antarctica is the only continent where there are no COVID-19 cases.
13). I’m trying to stay inside but I need to eat. Is food delivery safe?
Coronavirus can live on surfaces, including the packaging used by food delivery surfaces but, again, the risk is relatively small. Some people wipe down the outer layer of packaging, like the pizza box.
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Companies such as Foodora and Door Dash are also experimenting with “contactless delivery” – where they leave your order at a set spot so you don’t interact with the delivery person (some apps allow you to send a photo of the precise location).
Remember that food-delivery people are low-wage workers who are being run off their feet during the pandemic. Tip generously.
14). Can I go to a restaurant, food court or bar?
Ideally, no, at least not for dining in. People should use drive-thru, pick up or delivery options whenever possible. However, some provinces allow restaurants to operate but at greatly reduced capacity to ensure diners are at least two metres apart.
Social distancing is about minimizing close contact with others.
If you are in isolation – you are infected with coronavirus, have a suspected case or have returned from travel abroad – you should not leave the house. Arrange for a family member or friend to do your shopping.
If you are not in isolation, you can go about your life, including shopping. But physically distance yourself from others. Stores are also starting to limit the number of customers at any one time. If you’re in a queue, keep one metre to two metres apart. And respect the no butting in rule.
Keep in mind, too, that the person at greatest risk in the equation is the cashier, who is often dealing with hundreds of people in a shift.
15). My local café, which was cash-only, now only takes debit cards. They say it’s to protect customers from coronavirus. Is money a risk?
Coronavirus is spread by droplets - the spittle when you cough. It can live on surfaces like money but, relatively speaking, the risk is low.
You should probably be more worried about all the germs left behind by people who punch the keys on the card reader. Use tape if you can. And, hopefully, the café wipes down its card reader regularly.
16). How can I protect myself against the virus?
The best way to protect yourself against coronavirus infection is to follow the age-old advice of mothers around the world: Keep your fingers out of your mouth and nose, your hands off your face and cover your mouth when you cough. And, of course, wash your hands, frequently and thoroughly.
If you have had close contact with someone who has been infected with coronavirus, public health officials urge you to limit your contact with others by self-isolating, and to get tested.
If you have symptoms (dry cough, fever, but not a runny nose or sneezing) and think you may be infected you should seek medical assistance. However, don’t go directly to the emergency room or a medical clinic, because you risk infecting others.
17). How often should I wash my hands? Do I really need to wash them for 20 seconds?
There is no set number of times you should wash your hands. Rather, it depends on your activities.
You should wash your hands after:
*blowing your nose,
*coughing or sneezing;
*after using the bathroom;
*before eating and cooking;
*After cleaning around the house;
*after social or work activities that include lots of interaction or touching of public surfaces (i.e. taking the subway);
*after touching animals, including family pets;
*Before and after visiting or taking care of any sick friends or relatives.
The 20-second hand-washing rule is to ensure you have time to adequately scrub surfaces, and under the nails, where germs accumulate. There are many videos online that demonstrate proper technique.
A common trick is to sing a song while you wash your hands, to make it less tedious, like Happy Birthday or the chorus of Another Brick In The Wall.
18). Should I carry anti-bacterial wipes everywhere?
Wiping down surfaces is useful for minimizing the spread of germs. But coronavirus is a virus, not a bacterium, so you don’t need anti-bacterial products. Look for alcohol-based products. Baby wipes don’t contain alcohol. Neither do popular products such as Wet Ones. Lysol and Clorox wipes do contain alcohol.
19). Should I wear a mask?
Masks should be worn by sick patients, and by health care workers caring for sick patients. Healthy people wearing masks will do nothing to minimize the spread of coronavirus and will deprive others of this much-needed protective equipment (which is actually in short supply).
20). Should I be taking extra precaution around pregnant women?
Pregnant women experience changes to their immune systems that can make them more susceptible to viral respiratory infections, including COVID-19. Women who have been infected with other coronaviruses, like SARS and MERS, have slightly higher rates of miscarriage and stillbirth. It is not clear if the fetus is at greater risk if a woman is infected with COVID-19 but it is established that high fevers during the first trimester of pregnancy can increase the risk of certain birth defects. There is no evidence that coronavirus can be transmitted via breast milk.
In short, it is always a good idea to not expose pregnant women (and other with compromised immune systems) to infectious illnesses, and this is especially true during flu (and coronavirus) season.
21). Can I visit my elderly parents at home?
No. It is also recommended that people older than 70, even if living independently, self-isolate. Visitors should be kept to a strict minimum, for example delivering food and medicine. It is, however, important to stay in touch – but by phone, Skype and other means.
22). How is coronavirus treated?
There is no specific treatment for COVID-19. Only the symptoms can be treated. If you have mild symptoms such as a cough and fever, then you need rest, plenty of fluids and maybe Bubbe’s chicken soup. Fever can be treated with medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or NSAIDs like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), but you should not treat fever with ASA-based painkillers such as Aspirin, especially in children. The French health minister (who is also a doctor) has said that NSAIDs can worsen symptoms but, according to pharmacologist Dr. David Juurlink that claim “is not based on very much.”
Antibiotics do not help; they only work for bacterial illnesses. There are no licensed antivirals for COVID-19 but one drug, Remdesivir, is being studied and used experimentally. In more serious cases, COVID-19 patients may develop pneumonia (inflammation or fluid build-up in the lungs) and a physician may prescribe steroids. In the most severe cases, people can develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and require breathing support, a ventilator or ECMO (extracorporeal machine oxygenation). ARDS is what kills.
23). Why is quarantine set at 14 days?
That numbers is based on the incubation period of the virus – the time between catching the virus and beginning to have symptoms of the disease. Most estimates of the incubation period for COVID-19 range from one to 14 days, most commonly around five. In other words, if you don’t have symptoms in that two-week period, it’s highly unlikely you have COVID-19.
24).Can coronavirus be cured with chloroquine?
There reports of COVID-19 being treated successfully with the anti-malaria drug chloroquine as well as with the HIV drug combo lopinavir/ritonavir (sold under the brand name Kaletra).
But anecdote is not evidence and we should always be leery of people who claim to have miracle cures, especially when their “evidence” is published in the tabloid Daily Mail and not a reputable scientific journal.
25). What’s the state of a vaccine for the disease?
Developing a vaccine is one of the top priorities in the coronavirus response. There are more than 20 potential vaccine candidates being studied. However, creating a vaccine is a complex, time-consuming process. There are currently no coronavirus vaccines (efforts to create vaccines against SARS and MERS have stalled) so, best-case scenario, is that a vaccine will take at least 18-24 months to be on the market.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said it would take at least a year to develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 and at least 18 months before it would become “deployable.”
In other words, while multiple companies have vaccine candidates understudy, a vaccine is not going to stop the pandemic spread of the disease – a least not in 2020. The best approach in the short-term is tried and true public health measures to try and limit spread and developing better treatments for those who are sick. One drug, remdesivir, has shown promise against other coronaviruses and, anecdotally, has worked well for some COVID-19 patients. Drug-maker Gilead is ramping up testing.
26).Will warm weather stop the outbreak of COVID-19?
Influenza and cold infections plummet in the summer because warm, humid weather can make it harder for respiratory droplets to spread viruses. When temperatures rise, human activity also changes – we spend less time cooped up indoors. But scientists caution that we should not assume that, just because coronavirus is spread by droplets, warm weather will stop its spread. Neither SARS nor MERS – the two other novel coronaviruses to emerge in recent years – proved to be seasonal.
27). Can my pets catch the virus?
There has been one case recorded of a dog contracting coronavirus from its owner, a Pomeranian in Hong Kong – the first case of human-to-canine transmission. However, the chance of that happening appears to be very low. It is also quite unlikely that you would contract coronavirus from a pet.
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