”The virus doesn’t have a brain. We’re the ones with the brains.
The virus is a very simple biologic entity that can enter a human cell and instruct that cell to make more viruses which can ultimately kill the person it infects or at the very minimum transmit to another person.
It’s brutal in its simplicity, it is brutal in its cruelty but it doesn’t have a brain.”
Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director, World Health Organization
COVID-19 Does Not Discriminate & It Can Infect Anyone At Any Age!
For those that are 60+ in our community contact the Coronavirus, there is a strong chance that they will experience a more severe case of the virus. The main reason the elderly are more susceptible to the virus is that our immune system can weaken with age.
The fact is that the main goal of COVID-19 virus is to make more of the virus. ‘‘It wants to reproduce, it wants to find individuals to pass between” – Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove (Technical Lead, World Health Organization). But there are many things that we can do to protect ourselves and the elderly in our family and community.
Wash Your Hands:
The best possible way to protect yourself is to uphold strict and regular hygiene. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. A handy trick we have heard of is singing Happy Birthday to yourself twice and then you know it’s been 20 seconds.
Soap and water is the best way to keep clean and safe. If you are unable to get to a sink or have no access to clean running water the second-best option is hand sanitizer with 70% alcohol in them.
Avoid Touching Your Face:
On average, we tend to touch our own faces at least 23 times a day. Touching your face can significantly increase the risk of infection with COVID-19, colds, and flu.
Many of us are not even aware that we are touching our faces at all. The trick is we now need to become more aware and try to break this habit we didn’t know we had.
There are many tips and tricks out there to avoid touch your face. When you are at home and possibly watching the TV you could keep your hands busy by holding something (like a cuppa), moisturizing your hands with a scented cream (this way you will be aware of your hands come near your face), or for the unlucky few like myself, fold the laundry you let pile up.
If that doesn’t work try lacing your hands together and resting them on your lap.
Keep Your Distance:
With the new strain of COVID-19 being much easier to spread, keeping our distance is extremely important right now. We all need to take extra measures to put distance between ourselves and those around us in our community, especially the elderly and more vulnerable.
Stay at home as much as possible and only need the house when absolutely necessary (grocery shopping or for an emergency). We would recommend having your groceries delivered but let’s keep that channel open to the elderly in the community so they don’t have to leave the house.
Follow Sneezing Etiquette For All:
A sneeze can travel as far as 27 feet according to a study carried out at MIT.
However, 6 feet is a reasonable distance and reduces the possibility of spreading the virus through talking and coughing. Especially when everyone is wearing a face covering.
Even at home, it is a good habit to get into and either sneeze or cough into a clean piece of tissue or into the crook of your elbow and immediately wash your hands with soap and water.
Disinfect Regularly:
Clean and disinfect regularly touched surfaces on a daily basis. Use a disinfectant spray each time to make sure any germs/viruses are killed.
It is recommended that you leave the spray on the surface for at least 10 seconds before wiping it down. The longer the product is in place the better. But don’t forget to wipe everything down.
This includes:
- Countertops
- Table tops
- doorknobs
- light switches
- doorbells
- handles
- phones
- keyboards
- toilet seats
- faucets
- sinks
Mental Health:
Your physical health is just as important as your mental health and with the elderly in our community isolating and feeling lonely it is important to make sure we keep in contact with them, even if it is just a chat over the phone.
For More information on the unfolding of our new lockdown, feel free to keep up to date with the Government website here.
Until things have calmed down and our lives can go back to what we used to call normal. There isn’t much we can do but stay indoors and enjoy a cup of tea.
Would you or someone you know love the ease and comfort of our Uccello Kettle? Click Now For More Information.
Leave a Comment