COVID-19. What is it and what should you be doing?
by Sarah Ann Macklin
UPDATE: March 23rd at 8:30pm
Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (where this absolutely cannot be done from home)
Stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people
Wash your hands as soon as you get home
These are worrying times for all of us currently. I have had many of you reach out to me about how to manage your wellbeing in these unprecedented times ahead of us. With people’s job’s at risk as well as health, the force of uncertainty impacts our entire wellbeing. Firstly, I felt it was important to share some government advice about COVID-19.
As of the 23rd March 2020, Boris Johnson announced to stay at home and only go outside for food, to source medical supplies or to engage in 30 minutes of exercise, a walk on your own or a run.
What is COVID-19?
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.
It is a brand new virus from a family of virus, such as the common cold, SARS and MERS. COVID-19 seems to have come from a bat.
Coronavirus is an enveloped virus, RNA, rather than DNA.
This virus seems to be circulating since November 2019, which was noted by doctors in Wuhan, but action was not taken.
This is not a man made virus, this is completely fiction.
What are the symptoms?
The COVID-19 virus affects different people in different ways. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease and most infected people will develop mild to moderate symptoms and recover without requiring special treatment. People who have underlying medical conditions and those over 60 years old have a higher risk of developing severe disease and death.
Common symptoms include:
High fever - above 37.8
Tiredness/fatigue
Dry cough continuous
Other symptoms include:
Shortness of breath
Aches and pains
Sore throat
Very few people will report diarrhoea, nausea or a runny nose.
The UK government advises anyone displaying these symptoms above to self isolate for 7 days. If you live with other people, the entire household should self isolate e for 14 days. If one person of that household develops symptoms after 13 days, they will then need to further isolate for another 7 days.
Do antibiotics work?
As this is a virus, antibiotics do not work. Public Health England are currently working on a future vaccine, but as of yet, we do not yet have any cure or vaccine to fight against it.
Prevention
The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow).
Washing your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap is the best. If you touch any surfaces when out, wash your hands immediately.
Watch a how to video, over at the NHS website. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/best-way-to-wash-your-hands/
Alcohol gel is recommended if you cannot access a tap to wash your hands.
Avoid touching your face, the virus will only be transmitted from your hands of surfaces if you touch your nose, mouth or eyes.
Maintain social distancing of at least 2 meters (6ft) away from another person.
Cover your nose or mouth in flexed elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing. Dispose of the tissue immediately.
Stay at home, unless you need medical or food supplies.
Work from home.
Do not take any unnecessary travel.
Refrain from smoking and other activities which weaken your lungs.
What to do if I catch COVID-19
Self isolate for 7 days.
Keep hydrated and drink plenty of water. Hydration sachets can be useful during this period of time, if you have a high fever.
Keep a record of your fever, noting it down to see any changes. If your fever does not improve or gets worse, call NHS helpline 111.
It is advised to take paracetamol instead of ibuprofen if you can.
Will certain foods boost my immunity and prevent me from getting COVID-19?
Nutrition is important to keep our bodies and minds healthy. Currently I am seeing many social media posts which claim to instantly boost your immunity and help protect you against this virus. There is not a single food which will help protect you from this virus and there are no miracle cures which will dramatically improve your immunity.
Eating whole nutritious food sources will help support your immune system long term, but there is no quick fix. Variety here is key, let’s try to be creative with the ingredients we can source and remember to only buy what you need.
What are reliable sources of information?
World Health Organisation: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_2
NHS: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov
GOV UK: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
