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How to Prepare for the Coronavirus How to Prepare for the Coronavirus
(4 days later)
Federal health officials have warned that the coronavirus is likely to appear in communities in the United States. If it does, what can you do to protect yourself and your family? The coronavirus continues to spread in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, with more than 70 cases and one death confirmed in the United States.
Much of the advice from experts is common sense, and not much different from what you would do to dodge the flu or any other respiratory virus. While the Food and Drug Administration announced this weekend that testing in the United States would be greatly expanded, health experts have been warning that the virus’s spread in the country is inevitable. That means it’s time to prepare your home and family in case your community is affected.
“The mantra is, ‘Keep calm and carry on,’” said Dr. Marguerite Neill, an infectious disease expert at Brown University. Most important: Do not panic. While the outbreak is a serious public health concern, the majority of those who contract the coronavirus do not become seriously ill, and only a small percentage require intensive care.
Americans often disregard colds and flus, continuing about their ordinary business until the infection worsens. And many people who work in minimum-wage jobs do not get sick days. Sometimes they must work even when ill, despite the fact that they have a lot of contact with the public. By following some basic steps, you can help reduce your risk and do your part to protect others.
The upshot is that there are often people with symptoms in public places — and without apology, you should put distance between you and them. Try for six feet, but even a little distancing is helpful. It’s worth repeating, over and over again: wash your hands. Wet your hands with clean running water and then lather them with soap; don’t miss the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails. Make sure to scrub for at least 20 seconds (or about the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice), and dry them with a clean towel or let them air dry.
“If you see someone on a bus who is coughing, move away,” said Dr. Stanley Perlman, an infectious disease and coronavirus expert at the University of Iowa. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers, which should be rubbed in for about 20 seconds, can also work, but the gel must contain at least 60 percent alcohol.
And do your colleagues a favor if you aren’t feeling well: Stay home from work. Please. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands (tough one, we know).
Wash your hands frequently, said Dr. Trish Perl, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “It’s not super sexy, but it works,” she said.
Updated Feb. 26, 2020Updated Feb. 26, 2020
During the SARS epidemic — also caused by a coronavirus, but one that was much deadlier — hand-washing reduced the risk of transmission by 30 to 50 percent, she said. Meanwhile, if someone else is showing flu- or cold-like symptoms, try to stay six feet away. If that’s not possible, even a little distancing is helpful, according to experts, as the virus seems to spread through droplets in the air from a cough or sneeze.
The thing is, Americans aren’t very good at it. Sneezing or coughing yourself? Direct it into your elbow so as to avoid leaving germs on your hands, which can then quickly spread to other surfaces. Other ways to be smart include using the “Ebola handshake,” where you greet others with elbow bumps, and pushing elevator buttons with a knuckle instead of a fingertip.
Wet your hands with clean running water and then lather them with soap; don’t miss the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails. Face masks have become almost synonymous with the coronavirus outbreak overseas, but they don’t do much to protect you — most surgical masks are too loose to prevent inhalation of the virus.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. (Parents sometimes tell children that this is about the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.) The C.D.C. and infectious disease specialists do not recommend face masks if you’re healthy.
Finally, rinse your hands well with clean, running water. Dry them with a clean towel or let them air dry. But if you’re a health care worker or are caring for sick people at home or in a health care facility, you should wear one.
If it is not feasible to wash your hands with water, you can use a hand sanitizer, but check the label to be sure it contains at least 60 percent alcohol. If you’re infected, masks can help prevent the spread of a virus. The most effective are the so-called N95 masks, which block 95 percent of very small particles.
Squirt the gel onto your palms, rub your hands together, and then rub the gel all over your hands and fingers until your hands are dry. This step should take about 20 seconds, as well. On Saturday, the surgeon general urged the public to stop buying masks, warning that it won’t help against the spread of the coronavirus but will take away important resources from health care professionals.
The World Health Organization has a much more laborious technique that may also be more effective. Check it out: Experts suggest stocking at least a 30-day supply of any needed prescriptions, and you should consider doing the same for household items like food staples, laundry detergent, and diapers, if you have small children.
Coronavirus infections are transmitted in the same way as many other respiratory illnesses. Remember, alcohol is a good disinfectant for coronaviruses so make sure to keep surfaces in your home clean. Throw out those tissues in a wastebasket after you blow your nose.
The virus seems to spread through droplets in the air from a cough or sneeze. They can land in the mouth or nose of a person nearby — within six feet — or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. The C.D.C. also recommends cleaning “high touch” surfaces, like phones and tablets.Beyond physical items, prepare your home for a potential outbreak in the United States by staying up-to-date with reliable news resources, such as the website of your local health department.
Symptoms emerge within two to 14 days and can include fever, cough and shortness of breath Make sure every member of the family is up-to-date on any and all emergency plans.
If you must cough or sneeze, don’t do it the old-fashioned way, by covering your mouth with your hands. That just leaves germs on your hands, and it’s a short step from there to other surfaces. Be sure to be in communication with your child’s school on what types of plans are established for any sort of schedule change, including early dismissals or online instruction. And if you have elderly parents or relatives, or family members with any special health concerns, make sure you have a plan for caring for them if they get sick.
Cough or sneeze into your elbow instead. This is more likely to prevent viruses and bacteria from taking to the air, as well. There’s also some reassurance that could be had by creating a family emergency checklist, which could answer basic questions about evacuations, resources and supplies — especially if you have any preconditions or illnesses. The C.D.C. provides a checklist here.
Keep surfaces in your home clean. Alcohol is a good disinfectant for coronaviruses, Dr. Perl noted. Protect your child by taking the same precautions you would during cold and flu season: encourage frequent hand washing, move away from people who are coughing or sneezing and get the flu shot.
Dispose of tissues in a wastebasket after you blow your nose. Don’t leave them wadded up by the bed. Experts recommend getting the flu vaccine, noting that vaccinating children is the best protection for older people against bacterial pneumonia.
The trademark of coronavirus outbreaks abroad are those ubiquitous face masks. Right now, there’s no reason for parents to worry, the experts say, and the good news is that coronavirus cases in children have been very rare.
But if you are healthy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and infectious disease specialists do not recommend face masks. Most surgical masks are too loose to prevent inhalation of the virus. When talking to your children about an outbreak, make sure you first assess their knowledge of the virus and that you process your own anxiety. It’s important that you don’t dismiss their fears and speak to them at an age-appropriate level.
If you are infected, however, a mask can help prevent the spread of a virus. So keep calm, and if there’s an outbreak in your community, practice what’s known as “social distancing,” which means more TV bingeing at home and fewer trips to the park.
Health care workers and people caring for sick people at home or in a health care facility should wear masks. The most effective are so-called N95 masks, which block 95 percent of very small particles. Experts say that people currently should feel “very comfortable” traveling to destinations in the United States like California and Florida, “but that could quickly change.”
If you don’t need masks, it would still be sensible to have a supply of food staples and medications. For travel outside the country, check travel warnings from the C.D.C., which is recommending that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to China, South Korea, Italy and Iran. The C.D.C. is also asking older adults or those with compromised immune systems to consider postponing nonessential travel to Japan. The Times also publishes an interactive map to show where the authorities are warning against travel.
“Don’t wait until the last minute to refill your prescriptions,” Dr. Neill said. “You want to comfortably have at least a 30-day supply.” “Cancel for any reason” travel insurance could protect you, but it will cost you. Be sure to know read all the fine print to understand the terms.
Make sure you have essential household supplies, too, like laundry detergent, and if you have small children, diapers, perhaps enough for a month. Expect that your travel might be disrupted, or that popular sites or attractions may be closed or offer restricted hours.
Bookmark the website of your local health department so you will have a reliable source of news. Still, if you are sick, don’t travel. Pregnant women and others with compromised immune systems should also think twice about nonessential travel.
Parents may want to contact their child’s school to learn how plans for early dismissals or online instruction would be implemented. People with elderly parents or relatives should have a plan for caring for them if they fall ill. Despite financial markets falling all week, Times financial columnist Ron Lieber says there’s little reason to be alarmed long-term. After all, “stocks are how your savings fight inflation, the market is not an absolute proxy for your personal finances, and you’re playing a long game.”
Infectious disease specialists strongly recommend flu vaccination. And the best protection for older people against bacterial pneumonia is, paradoxically, to vaccinate children, said Dr. Keith Klugman, director of the pneumonia program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Neither influenza nor bacterial pneumonia seems to affect a person’s risk of getting a coronavirus infection or becoming seriously ill. But it is possible that the coronavirus, by injuring lung cells, can make it easier for pneumonia to take hold in people who also get the flu or bacterial pneumonia, Dr. Perl said.
Avoiding the flu and bacterial pneumonia also means you won’t take up the resources of a hospital and the time of health care workers in the event of a coronavirus outbreak.