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Women: Let’s Beat Corona Parnasha Gupta RoyMarch 24, 2020Women's Health and Wellness0 Comments This article gives a detailed description of what women can do to beat Corona Virus.

What is Corona Virus? Corona Virus is the term that is being used to refer to the particular infectious disease (COVID-19) that has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020.

So what are the stages of a pandemic?

Stage 1: When the disease is brought into a country from a country of the disease’s origin (in the case of COVID-19 this was Wuhan in China).

Stage 2: When the disease starts getting transmitted locally from identifiable sources (sources being patients who have been infected by the disease). India is currently in this stage of COVID-19 outbreak.

Stage 3: This is the dreaded stage when community transmission starts. In this stage the source of transmission cannot be identified, and the disease spreads in a much rapid pace after that. Indian central and state governments are trying to take all possible measures to prevent COVID-19 outbreak from going into the third stage in India.

Stage 4: In the phase the disease reaches epidemic proportions with no end-date in sight. It can resurface anytime of the year.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

A person infected with COVID-19 might not show symptoms till about 14 days of being infected. When symptoms start showing it can be dry cough, fever, fatigue, nasal congestion or runny nose, sore throat, and in some cases pains and diarrhea. The disease can turn serious for 1 out of 6 people, especially for senior citizen, and people with history of other medical illnesses like heart disease, cancer, etc.

How to protect yourself from COVID-19?

Since COVID-19 is passed on through respiratory droplets there are certain measures one can take to protect oneself from infection. Practicing social distancing by not going out of home until and unless there is an emergency. Maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from other people. If you have to step out wear full sleeved dresses, tie your hair, use a cap to cover your hair, do not use jewellery, makeup or cream.

If you have a cold, or are going to places which are slightly more crowded use a proper mask (N95 mask being the ideal choice). The mask should be disinfected every 6 hours. Avoid public transport.

Don’t touch anything with bare hands. Use a tissue to cover your fingers if you have to touch anything. Crush the tissue and place it in a bag before disposing it.

Avoid touching cash.

Do not touch your face. If you have to cough or sneeze do that in the crook of your elbow. After coming back home directly go to the washroom. Keep your bag, keys and other things in a safe place on your way in. Undress completely and soak the clothes in hot soapy water. Take bath in hot water with soap. Wash your hair as well. If you can’t take bath then wash exposed parts with soap and water. Disinfect places you touched while entering your home with soap water or sanitizer having at least 70% alcohol.

If you take your pets out for a walk ensure that they don’t brush against any object. Sanitize their paws after return. Give them a bath with soap water. Wash your hands multiple times a day with soap water or use sanitizer with 70% alcohol. Use the time at home to spend quality time with family, or engage in a hobby.

Teach children the basic rules of hygiene that they need to practice. Do not handle any packages brought from outside (bread or milk packets, e-commerce delivery packets, etc.) without first disinfecting them. Get only necessary information. Do not panic or overburden yourself with barrage of information flowing in through social media or word of mouth. Follow government guidelines.

If you have a family member diagnosed with COVID-19 at home designate a separate area for him/her. Do not go within 6 feet of that person, that too go with mask on. Ask the person to wear a mask, and not to touch anything outside of the designated area. The person must remain in isolation and the rest of family members must be quarantined to see if they show symptoms. Inform the local COVID-19 helpline. If you are pregnant or on your periods the same rules apply to you. There is one rule that we must keep in mind to protect your family and society from COVID-19: Prevention and social isolation is the best remedy. Better be safe than be sorry. United we can beat this disease before it is too late.