How to protect yourself against the Coronavirus

1. How to protect yourself against the Coronavirus It was only at the beginning of the week that there was a report talking about the emergence of a SARS like supervirus that had spread from Wuhan, China. 3 days later on we’re now seeing that the virus has crossed continents and can potentially enter Australia. Instead of inciting panic about the spread of the disease we want to talk about the facts of the coronavirus and provide practical suggestions for how you can manage your health to reduce your vulnerability to infection. Let’s start with what we know: the coronavirus was first recorded at the end of 2019 and originated in Wuhan, China. According to Business Insider Australia, as of Tuesday the 21st of January,they noted that there were 6 deaths out of 258 cases in Wuhan. The number of victims has risen to 17 over the last couple of days. Alongside this, there have also been a number of increasing cases that have been recorded throughout China as well as Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and South Korea. As of Wednesday, there was a potential scare as there was a report that a potential coronavirus carrier had entered Brisbane. Whilst this has recently been proven false, the fear of the coronavirus entering Australia is very real, especially with Chinese New Years looming with potential tourists entering and leaving the country. To assist in containing the virus, Chinese authorities have suspended all outbound transport from Wuhan. But the risk of contamination still runs very high across the Asia-Pacific region. According to virologists, the coronavirus is able to be spread between humans. The only noticeable signs and symptoms of the coronavirus are that they begin with a general feeling of unwellness, accompanied by the traditional flu like symptoms of a headache, sore throat, fever, runny nose and dry cough. The virus is most lethal to the elderly who might already suffer from upper respiratory conditions or those that have weakened immune systems. Whilst the disease has been compared to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), research is still being conducted to find out more information about this virus. In regards to prevention, the best thing that you can do is to reduce human to human contact as much as possible. If you are in a location that has a case of coronavirus then the least you can do is grab a mask like the Dr Hoffman’s Mask which is designed to prevent against the “splash” of a sneeze or a cough or any mouth-to-hand transmissions. Whilst these aren’t a silver bullet for prevention and certainly not able to be worn comfortably throughout an entire day they are good at filtering against the particles in the air. The next best thing to do is to wash hands regularly with warm water and soap, avoid touching ones eyes and nose and to maintain exercise wherever possible. Whilst these methods may seem traditional they are the best practices to avoid infection from the coronavirus until further studies and reports have been made. Otherwise, for those of us in countries that have yet to be infected, it is best to keep an eye on the news and ours to the ground to hear what developments are made. Whilst the World Health Organisation has yet to declare the coronavirus a public health emergency it is best to be vigilant and mindful of the potential risks of the virus at this time.