Staying safe during the second wave of Covid-19

Coronavirus – 2019-nCoV, WUHAN virus concept. 3D Rendering of coronavirus. 3D Illustration

Since the start of the fall, Quebec, as well as Canada, has been dealing with the second wave of Covid-19, the virus that turned the world as we knew it upside down and forced us to change our way of living drastically. By now, I’m sure that we’re all tired of hearing about it, however it’s important to remember that we are not yet done with Covid-19 and we should therefore be taking every precaution necessary to keep ourselves and our family members safe. That being said, with all the new information about the virus that keeps being thrown at us every day, it can be difficult to keep up with the symptoms, measures put in place and everything else related to Covid-19.

What are the symptoms and when should you stay home?

By now you’ve probably heard A LOT about the symptoms of Covid-19. However, due to a vast amount of information and misinformation, there is a lot of confusion about what exactly are the symptoms of the virus. So what are the the symptoms of Covid-19 and when should you stay home? This section will clarify any confusion you may have had!

The first set of symptoms are known as “Group A”. “Group A” symptoms are the symptoms most commonly associated with the virus. In the case of Covid-19, “Group A” symptoms include:

1) Fever
2) New or worsening cough
3) Difficulty breathing
4) Sudden unexplained loss of taste or smell

If you have any one of the “Group A” symptoms, you should stay home and get tested for Covid-19.

The second set of symptoms are known as “Group B”. These symptoms are less commonly associated with the virus, however still do occur. In the case of Covid-19, these symptoms include:

1) Sore throat
2) Muscle/joint pain
3) Intense fatigue
4) Headaches
5) Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea
6) Loss of appetite

In the case of “Group B”, you should stay home if you have two or more of these symptoms.

It is also important to note that you should also stay home if you have been in direct contact with someone who is Covid-19 positive, even if you do not present any symptoms.

Precautions

While there is still some confusion about the symptoms of Covid-19 and when you should be staying home, the precautions are a bit more straightforward. The main precautions to take in order to keep yourself safe are the following:

1) Hand hygiene
2) Maintain a distance of 2 meters (social distancing)
3) Wearing a mask
4) Staying home if symptomatic or if you have been in direct contact with someone who is Covid-19 positive.

Hand hygiene is one of the most important things, even when we are not living through a pandemic, and is often done incorrectly or not taken seriously enough.

Since the start of Covid-19, the use of protective equipment has become extremely important (and even mandatory in the case of face masks). After you are done with your face mask, and you are ready to take it off, it is important that you wash your hands both before and after taking it off. If you are also using gloves, it is really important to remember that gloves are not substitute for hand hygiene. Make sure that you wash your hands immediately after taking off your gloves. Do not skip steps with handwashing; it is critical in order to avoid touching your face with infected hands!

To learn about proper hand hygiene, you can refer to our post, “Handwashing really is important” ;
https://www.ramblingsaboutdisinfection.com/handwashing-really-is-important/

Stay Safe

HealthNews Florida, 2020.

We are all tired of Covid-19 and all of the inconveniences it has brought to our lives. However, we are not out of the woods yet and it is important to keep practicing all of the safety precautions necessary. Let’s get through this second wave safely, by wearing a face mask, keeping a 2 meter distance and washing your hands often!

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