Safety and Preventive Measures during the Covid-19 Pandemic

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Safety and Preventive Measures during the
Covid-19 Pandemic
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Introduction
The healthcare system of the whole world seems to
collapse because of the highly contagious
SARS-CoV-2. Unfortunately, there is no treatment
of the disease and vaccines are under
development. In such a scenario, to follow the
preventive measures to reduce the spread of
infection looks prudent. There are various ways
to stay away from the risk of exposure. These
include isolation and quarantine, Personal
Protective Equipments, social distancing,
sanitization, and hand hygiene.
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COVID-19 Highly Contagious Disease
COVID-19 pandemic has shattered the healthcare
system, economy, and health of the people
throughout the world. The initial cases of
COVID-19 infection came in late 2019. In January
2020, the World Health Organization declared the
disease as a health emergency of international
concern. In March 2020, COVID-19 was declared a
pandemic by the World Health Organization. In
February 2020, the International Committee on
Taxonomy of Viruses named the disease as
SARS-CoV-2.
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Studies have indicated that the virus has 79.5
similarity with SARS-CoV while its similarity to
bat coronavirus is 96.2. However, its highly
contagious nature and the significant ability for
human to human transmission is because of the
high affinity of its spike glycoprotein towards
ACE2 receptors as compared to SARS-CoV.
Fortunately, the mortality rate of SARS-CoV-2 is
less (3.4) as compared to MERS (35) and SARS
(9.6).
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The infection is highly contagious and spread
through person-to-person transmission. The
infected person when sneezes or coughs, it
results in the formation of liquid droplets
containing the virus. Depending upon the distance
of another person, these droplets either stick on
to mouth or nose or maybe inhaled directly into
the lungs. The spread may also occur when the
person touches the places infected with the
virus. The virus may also enter through
contaminated aerosols and fomites.
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Measures for Safety and Prevention of COVID -19
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Currently, there is no proven effective treatment
for COVID-19. Various pharmaceutical companies
have directed their resources to come up with the
treatment for this pandemic. Till the time the
medicine gets available, it is important to
implement safety and protective measures to
prevent transmission of this infection. Screening
may help in reducing the number of cases.
Following are some of the safety and protective
measures for COVID-19
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• Hand hygiene One of the most effective measures
  for contracting and preventing the spread of
  COVID-19 is enhanced hand hygiene. However,
  washing hands properly is also an art. Some
  people wash their hands without water while some
  use soap but wash hands for a few seconds.
• Sanitizing surroundings The surroundings should
  be sanitized effectively and frequently. Lift,
  railings, and doorknobs have the potential to
  spread infections if they have been used by a
  COVID-19 patient.

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• Social distancing  Social distancing is an
  effective way to reduce the risk of transmission
  of infection. The droplets from the infectious
  person travel to some distance when the person
  talks, coughs, or sneezes.
• Avoid gatherings People should avoid visiting
  the crowded areas as these areas are the hotspot
  for high transmission of disease. These include
  going to malls, theatres, or any public or
  private functions.

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• Personal protective equipment Personal
  protective equipment, if worn properly, is an
  effective tool in controlling the transmission of
  COVID-19. People should wear masks properly
  according to the WHO, as the improper wearing of
  masks increases the risk of infection.
• Workplace measures Effective measures should be
  implemented at the workplace to reduce
  transmission of COVID-19 infection. Social
  distancing should always be maintained, and
  employees should be advised to wear the mask.

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• Measures at hospitals for non-COVID
  patients Proper safety measures should be
  implemented at hospitals for the patients who
  visit for getting treatment of the diseases other
  than COVID-19. All the areas and surfaces should
  be regularly sanitized, and the number of people
  at a time should be limited.
• Stay at home Staying home is the best method to
  avoid any risk of infection. You must go outside
  of your house only when it is necessary. Wear
  mask before going out and wash your hand and
  sanitize them properly after returning.

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• Avoid unnecessary touching Avoid unnecessary
  touching of objects and surfaces at public
  places. These include railings, lift buttons,
  counter surfaces, and doorknobs.
• Isolation and Quarantine Isolation of the
  confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients is an
  effective method to control community spread of
  infection.
• Upgrading testing capacity Increase in the
  testing capacity will help in isolating the
  confirmed cases of COVID-19.

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REFERENCE
Güner R, Hasanoglu I, Aktas F. COVID-19
Prevention and control measures in the community.
Turk J Med Sci. 202050(SI-1)571-577. Published
2020 Apr 21. doi10.3906/sag-2004-146  
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