Be Safe

Different parts of our country are facing different levels of impact of coronavirus. Fear, death, panic buying, lockdowns, no classes, loss jobs, etc.. At this time we can't just sit down and relax and watch it happening. Since it is still on its initial phase we don't know what is yet to happen. I’m urging everyone to do something to help prevent its spread. It was reported that three U.S. states are experiencing sustained community spread.Community spread means some people have been infected and it is not known how or where they became exposed. This case marks a troubling new phase of the outbreak in the United States.

In our own small way we can do our part to help respond to this emerging public health threat. One way of doing this is taking care of our own self. Start eating foods which will strengthen your immune system. Avoid processed food.There are many suggestions you can pick up from the internet but be careful not all of them are true and effective. Lately I tried the whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet. I could feel its effect on my own body. Try to research some recipes online. If you love meat, well this is not for you.

Next follow the guidelines of less traveling and go out of the house only for emergencies or to buy your food. You can stock some food but no hoarding please. We need to share the resources to those who can't afford to buy in bulk.

We have our own way to avoid being infected. Social distancing, sanitizing, washing hands, wearing masks, avoiding gathering etc. Please be consistent.

Also we must understand why we are doing this.

It was proven in the past that social distancing mitigates the effect of pandemic.Social distance 6 feet is a safe distance, no hugging, kissing or gathering in great numbers.

When it comes to sanitizing. What is the best? Lately I can’t buy any alcohol, wet, wipes, or hand sanitizer in the store.

The best sanitizer is still your hand soap. Wash your hands as frequently as you can. Research on other coronaviruses has shown that “lipids is the weakness of coronaviruses, and soap dissolves the lipid envelope of the virus, thereby inactivating it.You can also use 60 percent alcohol. According to some researchers, alcohol is known to disrupt RNA molecules within the virus, which are essential for a viral particle to make copies of itself. Bleach is fine but it is too harsh for the skin.

Wearing a mask is another way. . Although masks are intended for those who are sick so that they can’t spread germs or viruses, I wear a fabric mask to see to it that I can’t easily rub my nose or touch my mouth especially during the time that I can’t wash or spray my hands. They aren't medical-grade but they are sanitized fabric my husband had sewn for all of us. I put some tissue paper inside. Some researches found that a normal face mask plus tissue papers or handkerchief stuffed inside could screen as much as 75 to 90 percent of dangerous airborne dust particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter.Another research mentioned that homemade cotton masks captured 50% of 0.02-1 micron particles, compared with 80% for the surgical mask. It emphasized that “although the surgical masks captured 30% more particles, the cotton masks did surprisingly well. The researchers concluded that homemade masks would be better than nothing.For those who want to make your own mask you can pm and I’ll teach you how. If you find it difficult to sew and you don’t have a sewing machine you can just pay for the labor and materials.

While some believe that masks are not the most effective to get away from the virus in some ways they are useful in helping keep bodily fluids from spreading. Also it can protect you from exposure to droplets of fluid from coughs or sneezes that contain the virus. This can always be washed and sanitized if it gets dirty and reused over and over again. Due to the scarcity of surgical masks, this may not be the best substitute but better than nothing. Let’s reserve those surgical masks for nurses and doctors who needed them most. At this difficult time we should be all thinking how we can be of help to stop this virus from spreading.