The general public is now gradually getting to know that viruses evolve by mutation and the new strains of a virus increase over time. These days, everyone is worried about the latest strains of coronavirus as these are approximately 50 per cent more contagious than the previous mutants and have led to a massive spike of cases with a major loss of lives in India and abroad.
| How to Protect Yourself from the New Coronavirus? Reduce your chances of exposureMeet as few people as possibleGet vaccinated as soon as possibleShop for the entire week or month at onceWear your mask properlyTry to work from homeTry to maintain a distance from people who appear to be sickDo not ignore the importance of medicines |
Here are some important steps that you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones from the new COVID-19 virus:
- Reduce your chances of exposure: The best defence against the new variants of coronavirus is to continue to shrink the chances of exposure as you did before. In short, continue to wear your masks, wash your hands, maintain social distancing, and carry sanitizers when going out, etc.
- Meet as few people as possible: With the arrival of the new variant of coronavirus, this is a good time to cut down the number of people in your circle. Although complete isolation is not practical, it is best to be safe.
You should be able to survive this pandemic if you meet with only a few very trustworthy people, preferably vaccinated. The bigger your circle, the harder will it be for you to manage.
- Get vaccinated as soon as possible: All coronavirus vaccines that have been approved by the government are effective in preventing Covid 19. In rare cases, if a person does contract the virus, the illness is not very severe.
When it comes to vaccines, which shot to get should not be the question. Get vaccinated as soon as you find a slot. If you’ve been vaccinated, do what you can in your neighbourhood to spread the word about the vaccines’ protection to people who may be hesitant to get it.
- Shop for the entire week or month at once: The more you go to the market, the more is your risk of exposure. Therefore, it is preferable to shop for your necessities all at once instead of going to the market daily. You can also opt for online shopping for the convenience of doorstep delivery, which can limit your exposure to a great extent.
- Wear your mask properly: Mask, whether it is of any kind, must be worn correctly, covering the entire area of the nose and around the chin. If possible, try to obtain a more suitable mask, such as a surgical mask or an N95 mask.
If you don’t have access to these, wearing two masks can also offer a protective shield. However, if your mask has two layers, wearing two masks isn’t mostly required.
- Try to work from home: The best way to stay safe is to stay at home. Work contact can increase the spread of infection. Therefore, it is best to try to work from home, if possible. If that situation is unlikely, try to maintain social distancing at work and switch meetings or other gatherings outdoors, instead of holding them indoors.
Since Covid-19 spreads primarily through the air in the form of droplets, proper ventilation of indoor spaces is essential. It is important to enhance ventilation in case of indoor gatherings.
To do so, it is recommended to open doors and windows, use fans to improve air circulation and install high-efficiency air filtration systems.
- Try to maintain a distance from people who appear to be sick: In today’s time, it can be assumed that people who appear to be sick may be infected by Covid 19. Therefore, to reduce the spread of the virus, it is best to stay at a safe distance from them, if possible.
If the sick person is in your home, start to take all necessary precautions such as wearing masks, getting doctor’s advice on which medicines to take and what all to do.
- Do not ignore the importance of medicines: Certain prescribed medications can shorten the time someone stays sick with the COVID-19 virus. Such a situation can help in avoiding mutation in the body and faster recovery of the patient.
Faster recovery can reduce the amount of time the virus has to adapt and grow stronger inside the body.
It just takes one person to start an outbreak, and everyone can help to stop it. Continue to take the same precautions as before along with getting vaccinated. By doing so, we may be able to get through all the waves of the pandemic and soon win over it.
