Covid19

 Keep on top of Covid-19

1. The Covid virus can enter your body through the eyes, nose and mouth.

2. Since the virus is present in saliva and mucus, wearing a face mask and keeping a distance of 1 meter from other people can help protect you from it.

- The virus can enter your eyes when you touch or rub them with your contaminated hand.

3. Eating

- Eat separately. Do not share food.

- Eat cooked food from a container with a lid to prevent contamination. The virus cannot survive heat. Avoid raw or undercooked food.

If it’s impossible to avoid, make sure to wash it well. 

- Drink bottled water. Clean the bottle with an alcohol spray or dishwashing liquid. Avoid using a vending machine, sharing an ice bucket or dipping sauce.

- When drinking from a can or a straw, clean the lid or the area where the straw is inserted. 

- Do not share a cigarette or a straw.

4. disinfection

- Wash hands after touching items used by many people such as money, doors, stair railings, lift buttons, ATM machines and taps.

- You may spray alcohol on your hands and those items before touching them to reduce the virus load.

- The virus can be killed in at least 30 seconds, with things that can remove fat such as soap, shampoo, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent.

- Alcohol: The virus is killed when alcohol evaporates. Spray alcohol throughout the area you want to disinfect. An alcohol spray can be used on objects but it can also go bad and is flammable.

- The virus will die instantly in boiling water (100 degrees Celsius) and in 30 minutes in the 60 Celsius water.

- Washing vegetables.

: Soak vegetables in four liters of water to one tablespoon of vinegar, or ten liters of water to half a tablespoon of baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) for 15 minutes. 

: Rinse in running water for two minutes. Spread the leaves of vegetables properly. Do not soak because the virus can still remain.

5. Touching door knobs or handles

- Wash your hands every time.

- If you use your elbow or back to open a door, beware that the virus can linger on clothing.

- (if possible) Spray alcohol before and after touching a door.

- Keep doors open if that doesn’t cause problems. Refrain from touching your hands.

6. Avoid the rain.

- The virus can survive longer when it rains and gets colder. Wind can also carry the virus further.

- Shut doors and windows. Be careful of drizzle.

- If you get wet from the rain, brush your teeth and gargle with mouthwash to prevent the virus from sticking in the respiratory tract.

7. Managing environments

- The virus likes cold weather. It is recommended to allow sunlight in the room.

- The virus can survive for three days in normal weather, not cold or humid.

Hot better than cold

Dry better than humid

-  Using the air conditioner

: Don’t set it too cold.

: Turn down the fan speed.

: Avoid the swing mode or getting the wind directly as it might trigger coughing.

: Clean filters and condensers regularly.

: Open windows for ventilation /let the sunlight in (if possible) from time to time. 

: For a large air-conditioning system, avoid standing where the air gets in and out of the AHU. We don’t know which part of the building the air comes from.

- Avoid small spaces and where the air blows strongly because the virus can travel more than one meter.

- Everyday items

: Use easy-to-clean, flat-surface products such as plastic, metal and polyurethane. Avoid products that are difficult to clean like animal hides, carpets, velvets and wools. 

: Before sitting at a table, spray alcohol on the table and chair (if possible).

: For events in which a lot of people join, transparent screens or face shields should be available to prevent the virus from sticking on hair, face and clothing.

: Garbage bin: use one that can be disposed of without hand touch.

: Chairs: use one made from flat-surface materials and easy to clean. Place seating to promote social distancing.

: Glasses: personal items that are close to the eyes. Wash with dishwashing liquid and clean if dropped on the floor.

- Product samples.

: Clean regularly because they can be touched by a lot of people.

: Avoid or refrain from trying products used on the eyes, face and lips such as lipsticks and cosmetics. If you can’t avoid that, use one that is handed out individually. 

: Avoid tasting food that is left for tasting because of the risk of contamination.

- Mobile phone.

: Pay special attention to usage of a mobile phone as you frequently touch it.

: Be careful not to leave it on a table, a chair, or things that people touch a lot.

: Always be mindful that it is a place where germs can accumulate. People often use their mobile phone and touch their eyes.

- Place of worship : Pay attention to the place where people bow to pay respect, and the spot which people touch with their hands or face.

- Medical procedures that cause dust: Use a suction bulb. Don’t blow from your mouth.

- Restaurants

: Screen workers. If they have fever, sore throat, mucus or are at risk of being infected, make sure to have them tested and treated. Otherwise, they will become a spreader.

- Payment methods : avoid touching cash.

: QR code, transfer = no touch

: Credit card : Sanitize the hands with alcohol spray after using the card.

: Cash : clean the hands after using cash.

: If cash is the only option.

- Separate the service staff and cash-handling staff.

- If unable to separate, sanitize hands after handling cash.

- Using a toilet.

: Avoid brushing your teeth or washing your face in a public toilet because it is where people spit out mucus, phlegm and saliva.

: Objects people touch a lot : wash basin, tap, door, cesspool, flush button. Spray alcohol on these objects before (if possible) and after using them.

- A wash basin.

: Separate the wash basin for washing your face or dishes from the one for washing hands.

- Floor : Germs can linger on the floor as when people cough, germs will fall on the floor or get on shoes. Avoid leaving personal items on the floor. Take off shoes before entering your house.

- Pets

: Pets are not direct carriers but the virus may come with their hairs, feet, and whiskers. (Like when we enter the house without taking off our shoes.) It is recommended to keep the pets in an allocated space inside and outside of the house. If you take them for a walk, make sure to clean their paws and hairs when you come back.

- Travel

: Plan your trip : avoid peak time or the last trip of the day.

: Motorcycle Taxis : When riding, try not to sit too close to the rider. (If possible) It is recommended for the rider to sanitize contact points from time to time.

8. Clothing

- Do laundry as soon as you come home.

- If you meet a lot of people at work or are exposed to risks, wash work clothes and the ones you wear at home separately.

- If you hang your clothes to dry, collect them before it rains. Clean the rails and hangers when the rain stops.

- Wear simple clothes that have a flat surface and are easy to clean. Avoid uneven surfaces or materials as germs can linger there.

9. Dangers of Covid-19

- It spreads easily as 80% of infected people who have mild symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, rash) are asymptomatic.

- Highly vulnerable groups are people aged over 65 who have serious diseases and with uncontrollable symptoms.

*If you stay with the elderly, keep distance and avoid sharing food, a bedroom and a toilet with them. For a toilet, if you can’t separate it, let the elderly use it first. Sanitize with alcohol or clean with disinfectants after using a toilet.

- You may not get infected with the Covid-19 virus even though you are exposed to it. Chance of infection depends on the virus load and immunity of each person. Vulnerable groups are people with low immunity such as people aged over 65 who have serious diseases and with uncontrollable symptoms.

- Taking temperature

:  Methods of taking temperature for medical purposes are oral (under the tongue, in the ear, under the armpit and in the rectum. But the downside is it takes a long time and it needs an expert to do it.

: Measuring temperature on the hand or the forehead takes shorter time and works with most people. But accuracy is low. Those who use this method and don’t have a high temperature, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have the virus.

- Symptoms

: Covid is a virus. It can cause various symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, nasal mucus, rash and upset stomach. But these are common symptoms many viruses share.   

***So it’s not necessary that the person is infected with the Covid virus if he or she shows those symptoms.***

: A swab test is the only method for diagnosing Covid infection. It is diagnosed from symptoms.

: Indications for swabbing a nose.

- Swab the person who comes into contact with an infected person and has symptoms.

- Swab on the fifth day.

: If there is no symptom, count from the day the person meets the patient..

: If there are symptoms, count from the first day the person shows symptoms.

Common problems.

- The first test is negative but the second one is positive. It might happen because swabbing is done before five days. 

10.  Risks of infection.

- People are at risk of infection if they...

: don’t wear face masks.

: get close to the infected person, share food, are in the same room, closely face each other.

: touch their eyes or eat food using the contaminated hand.

Aspects of assessment.

- Self

- Environment

Example Mr. A

- Self: remove a mask, not leave a 1m distance, not wash hands after touching things a lot of people touch, share food with others.

- Environment: Walk in the rain, go to crowded and small places like a boxing arena, a cock-fighting venue.

Mr A is exposed to the risk.

Note: Walking past, catching eyes, looking in the face, passing by the place where an infected person used to be but not having risky behaviors are not considered at risk.

11. Incubation period.

- Most people show symptoms within five days after being exposed  .

- Most cases will recover within seven days.

: In the asymptomatic case, since the day being exposed.

: In the symptomatic case, since the first day that has symptoms.

- Infectious period: 10 days

: In the asymptomatic case, since the day being exposed.

: In the symptomatic case, since the first day that has symptoms.

- The virus can be detected within 50 days. But one study says after 11 days, it is often fragments of genetic materials.

12. Mindful and not careless.

- Though the spread is contained, you cannot be careless.

- If the spread is uncontrollable, you have more reasons not to be careless.

- Stay on guard even though there are vaccines.

- Keep your guard up when there is no vaccine.

- Be careful while crossing the road.

Following the news

: Get the news and information from official sources such as the Health Ministry, Department of Disease Control and medical schools.

: Check if the news comes from an original source.

: Get and share the news that is true and useful in a timely manner.

If unsure whether the news is true, check with experts. Do not share the information yet

: Stick with moderation

- Too much confidence and becoming careless is not good.

- Being worried so much that you become suffering and affect others is not good.

: Causes and effects.

Fire gives rise to smoke. There’s a reason for everything.

Risky behavior means a higher chance of infection.

No risky behavior means safety.

: A picture in the news that show a person collapses

ใIn a day, there might be a person who faints and dies. During a pandemic, the authorities will disinfect the area.

Fainting to death has many causes.

The picture of a person falling to death and the authorities disinfect the spot doesn’t mean that the person dies from Covid-19

: Looking into the percentage of the population will give the big picture. Don’t be careless or too panicked.

For example, 10 infected people out of 100 people (10%) is more frightening than 10 infected out of 1,000 people (1%)

The same 10 people but the percentage is different. So the threat is different.

How to calculate the percentage = (Number of infected people / population) x100

Example: District A has five infected people out of 5,000 people. 

The percentage of the infected people = (5/5000)x100 = 0.1%

A coin has two sides.

Example: Suppose there's news about accidents during holiday, saying five people per 10,000 travelers have accidents.

That means for every 10,000 people who travel, five have accidents.

So there are 10,000 - 5 = 99,995 people who don’t have accidents.

And the ratio is (5/10,000)x100 = 0.05%

: Vaccination

- Covid vaccines work similarly to Flu vaccines, that is mitigating severity..

Low viral loads => Not infected.

Severe symptoms  => mild symptoms

: Reduce the spread of the virus.

- Those who are hesitant about vaccines can consult their doctors further.

13. Professional cleaners 

: Educate them about the pandemic.

: Gloves only protect those who wear them.

: When cleaning, avoid blowing as it might cause the virus to spread in the air.

: Spraying is better than wiping because wiping still involves touching surfaces.

Cleaners play an important role behind the door in preventing the outbreak because they handle drinks and food directly, while everyone in the society is in the frontline. 

14. Solve problems the right way.

: When the bubonic plague hit, a number of people were killed.

When rat fleas are found to be the cause, cleaning thoroughly and keeping the lid on the waste bin can help control the spread.

:  I heard a report that at a construction site, there were ten workers who suffer from diarrhea everyday. After investigation, it is found that the ill and the healthy people shared the same bathroom and they washed dishes without using a detergent. 

It is recommended to use dishwashing liquid and separate personal kits and bathrooms for sick people and healthy people.

I heard that no workers fall sick now.

So they solved problems the right way and it worked.

Note: this article is compiled from medical studies and written in a way that common  people can easily understand and follow. However, it may not be useful for some people or in certain environments and situations. If you have questions, feel free to ask.