Why you need to protect yourself

A lot of people like to point out the idea that coronavirus and the flu are similar, in terms of symptoms and in terms of the way of transmittion. However, that is not tue. The main difference between them is the rate of reproduction, or the r number. The r number for the flu is 1.3. This means that if one person transmitted the virus to 10 other people, then 1.310 = 13.78 ≈ 14 people would be infected. The rate of reproduction for the coronavirus in betwen 2 and 2.5. This translates to the number of people being infected between 210 = 1,024 and 2.510 = 9,539. This average is about 327 times higher than the number of people inflected from the flu, thus highlighting the reason why you need to protect yourself. You need to protect others as well as yourself.

How you can protect yourself and others

Since there is no vaccine for COVID-19 currently, you need to know how to protect yourself. You can protect yourself and others using these 6 methods:

  1. Learning about the virus: Knowing how the virus is transmitted and how you might get infected is crucial because it will increase your understanding and caution, and it will make you change your lifestyle and actions in order to become safer. All the information you need is one this page, but further information can be found online for free.
  2. Washing your hands often: Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds breaks down the grease that holds the virus together and kills it. This emphasises the importance of washing your hands frequently. You should wash your hands:
    • Before eating
    • After eating
    • Before coming in contact with your face
    • After sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose
    • After touching an animal or another person without gloves
    • After leaving a public place or using the restroom
  3. Wearing a facemask: Wearing a facemask is the best and easiest protection precaution you can take. As mentioned in the home section of the website, the virus can be transmitted airborne by being inhaled from the mouth or nose. Wearing a facemask protects you from droplets in the air around you. Wearing a facemask can save your life, or someone else's life since it prevents you from transmitting the virus in the form of droplets to others. It's crucial that you wear one. They can be purchased from Amazon for a reasonable price.
  4. Wearing gloves: Airborne transmittion is not the only way the virus spreads. As discussed, it can also be spread by touching a surface that has been infected. The use of gloves prevents this and protects you from surfaces that may have been infected by the virus. This precaution can also stop you from spreading the virus if you are infected and save someone's life, or stop transmitting it. Just like facemasks, gloves can be bought on Amazon.
  5. Disinfecting regulargly: Disinfecting your shopping items is crucial since someone who was not wearing gloves and is infected, could have come into contact with your items, therefore passing the virus to you. Clean and disinfect your shopping items or other products that other people could potentially have come in contact with. Further, you should be cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces inside your house.
  6. Obbeying social distancing rules: Probably the most important item of this list. You must make sure that you are keeping your distance (at least 6 feet / 2 meters) when you are outside and you must obbey the social distancing rules of the shop / area you are in. If exiting your house isn't a necessity, you shouldn't do it.