March 2 Corona Virus Update

CORONA VIRUS
Be prepared to help care for your neighbors. Share food and supplies but not germs. Wash your hands.
Here is a good, reliable, local source for information:
https://www.whatcomcounty.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1617
This website has links to other reliable websites.

1. If you think you might be getting sick, stay home! If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care. Your fever should be gone for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.
2. If you show severe symptoms, phone before going to your doctor’s office or the ER.
3. You shouldn’t be stockpiling masks or other medical supplies. They are needed in hospitals to keep our healthcare workers healthy.
4. Make preparations now. You are probably safe, but community effort will vastly reduce the amount of harm/ disruption overall.
5. Buy enough supplies gradually to allow you to stay inside 2-3 weeks if necessary (nonperishable food, household items, medication mostly).  Don’t hoard; do share.
6. Wash your hands frequently, sterilize doorknobs etc. Soap and hot water work vastly better than hand sanitizer. You can make your own hand sanitizer if you want some. There are lots of recipes online.

It feels like this is where the rubber meets the road for us as a community. Please help your neighbors. Stay in touch with them. Shop for folks who shouldn’t go out. You can make a plan with them to drop off groceries on their doorstep. Phone and give them a good listening to. That’s something we can all do for each other right now.

Useful Links:
Preparing For CoronaVirus
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/preparing-for-coronavirus-to-strike-the-u-s/

The Safe Sneeze by Mythbusters
[Use your elbow please]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vw0hIs2LEg&feature=youtu.be

FACE TOUCHING
[From NY Times, 3/2/2020]
To break the face-touching habit, try using a tissue if you need to scratch your nose or rub your eyes. Wearing makeup may reduce face touching, since it may make you more mindful of not smudging it. One study found that women touched their faces far less when they wore makeup. Another solution: Try to identify triggers for face touching, like dry skin or itchy eyes, and use moisturizers or eye drops to treat those conditions so you are less likely to rub or scratch your face.
It also may help to wear glasses to create a barrier to touching your eyes. Gloves or mittens can also make you more mindful of not touching your face (and can make it more difficult to put your finger in your nose or your eye). Although gloves, too, can become contaminated, viruses don’t live as long on fabric or leather.
Given that face touching is a long-ingrained habit, it makes sense to remain vigilant about frequent hand washing and wipe down your desk, phones and community surfaces. Carry hand sanitizer and use it often. The more mindful you are about regular hand washing, the more mindful you will be about your hands and what they are touching.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *