COVID-19: It seems every minute the situation is worsening. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. Yet, there are ways to minimize your risk.
The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. Easier said than done. In that you could have been exposed days, even weeks, ago, it may be too late to prevent the illness, but again, you can minimize the risk of spreading the virus.
The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person through coughing and sneezing. However, we don’t know all the ways it spreads. Here are the most common.
- Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
- Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
- Contaminated counter tops, door knobs, and other surfaces people come in contact with.
Although a lot of people have minimized the danger we are confronted with, the far reaching impact can’t be denied.
Unfortunately, due to what we don’t know about the spread, the results of COVID-19 include school shutdowns, stock market crashes, food shortages, and travel bans.
The stock market is crashing fast and furious, causing even more health complications due to financial stress increasing by the day.
However, we need to avoid the hysteria some people are falling victim to. It’s about taking precautions and using common sense.
In addition to taking precautions right now, we need to take steps to prevent another outbreak of this, or something similar, in the future.
Bill Gates Warned Us
Ever-the-visionary, Bill Gates outlined his recommendations during a March, 2015 TedTalk https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_the_next_outbreak_we_re_not_read
Minimizing Risks Moving Forward
Although we can’t go back in time, we can take measures to minimize our risks moving forward. We can also take measures to reduce ever growing fears.
According to the CDC and many experts, there are a few simple steps you can take to reduce your risk.
- Wash your hands frequently including with soap and water and sanitizers.
- Keep your distance from others. This will minimize your chance of being infected should they sneeze or cough.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
- Stay home if you are sick. Even if you don’t have COVID-19, it’s a good idea to stay home if you are sick. Primarily because your immune system is compromised due to being sick so you are increasing your risk to go out of your home with a cough, cold or fever.
- Clean and disinfect all surfaces frequently, including tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
All of these are good practices to incorporate for day to day activities.
What You Eat Matters
In addition to the steps outlined above, take a look at what you’re consuming. Are you eating to support a healthy immune systems?
Even though there is a lot of controversy over whether or not eating meat increases one’s chances of contracting the virus, common sense dictates that the closer to whole foods you consume the better.
When you consider what goes on with factory farmed animals, eliminating meat, poultry, fish and dairy from your diet is likely one of the best things you can do minimize your risk for compromising your immune system by what you eat.
According the CDC, (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) warns: “…3 out of every 4 new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals.” These include viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, and they infect millions of U.S. citizens every year.
The fact is, “SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 are contagious diseases that jump from animals to humans, and more needs to be done to curtail these, including banning live animal markets.”
Don’t underestimate the power of eliminating animal products from what you consume. By doing so, you are dramatically reducing your risk for a number of health issues.
