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At the beginning of 2019, the coronavirus hit the United States. Highly contagious, COVID-19 can spread from person to person in a couple of primary ways. One of the ways in which COVID-19 spreads is when a person’s hands become contaminated with the virus. One of the frontlines of defense against COVID-19 is properly washing hands. An alarming number of people are failing when it comes to properly washing hands.
In order to place the need to properly wash your hands into sharp focus, a discussion of some of the basics associated with COVID-19 are presented for your consideration. Understanding the dangers of this virus and how easily it can be spread underscores the necessity for ensuring that you and those around you practice this basic and yet extremely vital hygienic practice.
Symptoms of COVID-19
Symptoms of coronavirus or COVID-19 appear within two to 14 days of exposure to the virus.
Most cases of COVID-19 result in only mild symptoms. Indeed, there are instances in which a person is diagnosed with COVID-19 and shows no symptoms whatsoever.
The most commonplace symptoms of COVID-19 are:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
A person infected with COVID-19 or the coronavirus can have anywhere from mild to severe and even fatal symptoms. In most cases, a person infected with COVID-19 will be able to tend to symptoms at home.
When You Need to Seek Medical Attention
Merely exhibiting the commonplace symptoms of COVID-19 doesn’t mean you need to seek in-person medical attention. You certainly can consult with doctor by the phone or via telemed portals.
If symptoms become progressively worse, medical attention must be sought immediately. Emergency warning signs indicating the need for immediate medical assistance include:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion or inability to arouse
- Bluish lips or face
In some cases, these emergency warning signs develop quickly. This is the type of situation in which you either need to have someone take you immediately to get emergency medical treatment or you need to call 911.
Simple but Vital Steps to Proper Handwashing to Combat COVID-19 Infection
- Wet your hands thoroughly, using either warm or cold water.
- Lather your hands by vigorously rubbing them together with soap.
- Lather the front and back of your hands. Scrub between fingers and under fingernails.
- The scrubbing process needs to last for at least 20 seconds. If you need assistance in logging the time needed to effectively wash your hands, hum the “Happy Birthday” song two times.
- Rinse your hands thoroughly under fresh running water.
- Dry hands with a clean towel or using an air hand dryer.
Although the coronavirus spreads relatively easily, it is considered a fairly weak virus. By that it is meant that following this handwashing protocol will eliminate the virus from your hands. COVID-19 is “held together” by a fatty substance. This fatty substance degrades when confronted with soap and water. When that occurs, the virus itself collapses.
Don’t Touch Your Face
In conjunction with properly washing your hands, you need to take care to not touch your face. There are two common routes of COVID-10 transmission. One is being within a range of about six feet when an infected person coughs or sneezes. When that occurs, droplets containing coronavirus can end up on you, resulting in you potentially becoming infected with the virus.
The second commonplace mode of infection involves touching a surface or object that has been contaminated by the COVID-19 virus. When you touch such a surface, you can infect yourself by touching your face with what is, in fact, a contaminated hand.
An infectious disease expert suggests wearing gloves if you have a habit of touching your face. He makes this recommendation not because gloves prevent the transfer of the virus to your face. They do not. If you touch a gloved hand to a contaminated surface you can still infect yourself with COVID-19. What gloves can do is to serve as a clear reminder not to touch your face.
Coronavirus Cleaning and Disinfection
Another reality is that you can inadvertently bring COVID-19 into your residence. For this reason, you need to take some basic steps beyond appropriate handwashing to keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy.
You need to sanitize or disinfect surfaces, doorknobs, sink faucets, and other items in your home that regularly are touched. In addition, if you learn that a person diagnosed with COVID-19 has been in your home, including a member of your family, you need to consider seriously seeking professional assistance with coronavirus cleaning and disinfection. An experienced, skilled coronavirus cleaning and disinfection company have the resources necessary to safely eradicated COVID-19 from your home to ensure the health and wellbeing of you and yours.
