Protecting Yourself and Family During The Coronavirus Pandemic

During this pandemic, it is especially important that we recognize and appreciate the medical professionals who have put themselves on the front lines to treat those fallen ill to coronavirus. We all depend on the resilience of these professionals to deal with the stress throughout this outbreak to continue treating patients with their clinical expertise. Through their efforts, we have been able to develop extensive knowledge on how this virus spreads and how to protect ourselves through this pandemic.

Dr. David Price of Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City is one of the medical professionals to use his experience to educate others. During a Zoom conference call with family and friends, Dr. Price shared information on how to empower and protect your household during the coronavirus pandemic. This call is watchable here so you can use this knowledge to safeguard yourself and loved ones during this time.

While I highly suggest watching the video, here are some key basic rules Dr. Price shared on how to protect yourself during this time:

• Avoid sustained contact within confined spaced with anyone who is infected or anyone who has come into contact with the infection. Ideally stay anywhere from 3 to 6 feet away from others.
• Consistently clean your hands, either with antibacterial soap or hand sanitizer or sanitize surfaces before you touch them.
• Be constantly aware of your hands and do not touch your face if they aren’t clean. The virus is almost exclusively transmitted from your hands to your face, as it can enter through your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Keep a smaller social circle as having more contact with many people causes more opportunities for possible infection.

Being aware of these precautions and making them a part of your everyday life will help you feel self-assured and keep you healthy.

If you do become ill however, Dr. Price suggests staying home and isolating yourself from your family as you could also infect them as well. If able, it’s best to stay in a separate room and use a different bathroom. Nonetheless, if you do have to interact with family members while sick, be sure to thoroughly wash your hands, wear a medical mask, and sanitize all surfaces you touch. As your symptoms reduce and you feel better, you can interact with your family more.

While some of these safety measures may be difficult to follow, it’s empowering to know that we will stay healthy as long as we only touch our faces with clean hands and avoid confined spaces with those who are sick. Being able to understand coronavirus will not only keep us well physically but also help you stay stress free until the outbreak passes.