Hello. I am Dr Mary Frances Barthel. I lead Blessing Health System’s Infection Prevention program.
Coronavirus is scary for so many people, but also frustrating.
School has been cancelled.
Social events have been postponed.
Hospitals have instituted strict visiting guidelines.
And people are advised to practice social distancing, which means to stay at least six feet apart, and to even work from home if they can.
Too much?
Science tells us no.
COVID-19 is primarily spread through respiratory droplets, which means to become infected, people generally must be within six feet of someone who is contagious and come into contact with these droplets.
It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.
Symptoms of COVID-19 appear within two to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose and difficulty breathing. Which means individuals can be infecting others even without symptoms being present.
If we do not take important steps now, the American healthcare system will become overwhelmed. We will not have sufficient Intensive Care Unit or regular hospital beds to treat those in need.
Here is another way to think about this. You have a party at your home. You invite 50 people. Imagine they all show up at the same time and try to get through the door. It won’t work, right? But, if they came through two at a time over the course of an hour, everyone would get in safely.
It’s the same thing with Coronavirus and hospital capacity.
We cannot STOP its spread. But working together we can flatten the curve. That means we can spread out the number of cases that will occur over a much longer period of time—preserving hospital beds, healthcare supplies and healthy caregivers for every person who needs them.
How do you help flatten the curve? As I mentioned earlier, practice social distancing by staying 6 feet apart.
Only congregating within small gatherings when absolutely necessary.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 15-20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with people.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Use standard household cleansers and wipes which are effective in cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of liquids and exercise if you are able. These steps will strengthen your immune system and enable you to fight off infections easier.
These measures help protect our healthcare capacity and the most vulnerable populations- those older than age 65 and those with chronic medical conditions including lung disease heart disease diabetes kidney disease and especially those with immune deficiency.
Thank you for participating in flattening the curve during this Coronavirus outbreak. Guidelines like these and your participation will allow us to manage the outbreak together.
