COVID-19 outbreak: Things That Are In My Control

By: Melody Rabor-Dizon

 

Hello Fil-am community, I want to focus my article today on the things that are within my power and those things that I, myself speaking subjectively can do something about. A positive move, if adopted by many can create a ripple effect and can help overcome the current medical crisis we are facing

Create a household plan of action

• Talk with the people who need to be included in your plan. Meet with household members, other relatives, and friends to discuss and what the needs of each person will be.

• Plan ways to care for those who might be at greater risk for serious complication namely, older adults and persons who have underlying chronic medical conditions and the young

• Get to know your neighbors and build an emergency plan

• Participate in community discussions about emergency planning. Let others know about what readiness actions worked for you and your household. Maintain communication lines with your community (e.g., social media and email lists). Promote the importance of practicing good personal health habits.

• Identify aid organizations in your community.

• Create an emergency contact list. Practice good personal health habits and plan for homebased actions

• Practice everyday preventive actions now.

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.

• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue.

• Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily (e.g., tables, countertops, light switches, doorknobs, and cabinet handles) using a regular household detergent and water.

• If surfaces are dirty, they should be cleaned using a detergent and water prior to disinfection.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.

• Choose a room in your home that can be used to separate sick household members from those who are healthy. Identify a separate bathroom for the sick person to use, if possible. Plan to clean these rooms, as needed, when someone is sick

• Take care of the emotional health of your household members.

Be prepared if your child’s school or childcare facility is temporarily dismissed

• Learn about the emergency operations plan at your child’s school or childcare facility. School authorities also may decide to dismiss a school if too many students or staff are absent. Understand the plan for continuing education and social services (such as student meal programs) during school dismissals.

• Discourage children and teens from gathering in other public places while school is dismissed to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

• Help your child/children cope after the outbreak. Provide children with opportunities to talk about what they went through or what they think about it. Encourage them to share concerns and ask questions. Because parents, teachers, and other adults see children in different situations, it is important for them to work together to share information about how each child is coping after the outbreak.

Plan for potential changes at your workplace

• Learn about your employer’s emergency operations plan. Discuss sick-leave policies and telework options for workers who are sick or who need to stay home to care for sick household members.

• Staying home from work, school, and all activities when you are sick with COVID-19 symptoms, which may include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.

• Keeping away from others who are sick.

• Limiting close contact with others as much as possible (about 6 feet).

• Notify your workplace as soon as possible if your schedule changes. Ask to work from home or take leave if you or someone in your household gets sick with COVID-19 symptoms, or if your child’s school is dismissed temporarily. Travel Health Notices: Types of Notices

•Warning Level 3 (Red): Avoid all non-essential travel to this destination. The outbreak is of high risk to travelers and no precautions are available to protect against the identified increased risk.

• Alert Level 2 (Yellow): Practice enhanced precautions for this destination. The Travel Health Notice describes additional precautions added, or defines a specific at-risk population.

• Watch Level 1 (Green): Practice usual precautions for this destination, as described in the Travel Health Notice and/or on the destination page. This includes being up-to-date on all recommended vaccines and practicing appropriate mosquito avoidance.

Stigma and Resilience: Knowing and sharing Facts can help stop stigma

Some groups of people who may be experiencing stigma because of COVID-19 include:

• Persons of Asian descent

• People who have traveled

• Emergency responders or healthcare professionals Stigma hurts everyone by creating fear or anger towards other people. Stigmatized groups may be subjected to:

• Social avoidance or rejection

• Denials of healthcare, education, housing or employment

• Physical violence. Stigma affects the emotional or mental health (2) of stigmatized groups and the communities they live in. Stopping stigma is important to making communities and community members resilient. Everyone can help stop stigma related to COVID-19 by knowing the facts and sharing them with others in your community.

• Maintain privacy and confidentiality of those seeking healthcare and those who may be part of any contact investigation.

•Quickly communicate the risk or lack of risk from associations with products, people, and places.

• Raise awareness about COVID-19 without increasing fear.

• Share accurate information about how the virus spreads.

• Speak out against negative behaviors, including negative statements on social media about groups of people, or exclusion of people who pose no risk from regular activities.

• Be cautious about the images that are shared. Make sure they do not reinforce stereotypes.

• Engage with stigmatized groups in person and through media channels including news media and social media.

• Thank healthcare workers and responders. People who have traveled to areas where the COVID-19 outbreak is happening to help have performed a valuable service to everyone by helping make sure this disease does not spread further.

• Share the need for social support for people who have returned from China or are worried about friends or relatives in the affected region.

Things you can do to support yourself:

• Avoid excessive exposure to media coverage of COVID-19.

• Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep and avoid alcohol and drugs.

• Make time to unwind and remind yourself that strong feelings will fade. Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories. It can be upsetting to hear about the crisis and see images repeatedly. Try to do some other activities you enjoy to return to your normal life.

• Connect with others. Share your concerns and how you are feeling with a friend or family member. Maintain healthy relationships.

• Maintain a sense of hope and positive thinking.

Share the facts about COVID-19 and the actual risk to others. People who have returned from areas of ongoing spread more than 14 days ago and do not have symptoms of COVID-19 do not put others at risk.

FACTS:

Diseases can make anyone sick regardless of their race or ethnicity. People of Asian descent, including Chinese Americans, are not more likely to get COVID-19 than any other American. Help stop fear by letting people know that being of Asian descent does not increase the chance of getting or spreading COVID-19.

Some people are at increased risk of getting COVID-19. People who have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or people who live in or have recently been in an area with ongoing spread are at an increased risk of exposure.

Someone who has completed quarantine or has been released from isolation does not pose a risk of infection to other people.

You can help stop COVID-19 by knowing the signs and symptoms: Fever, Cough, Shortness of breath. Seek medical advice if you develop symptoms AND have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or live in or have recently traveled from an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19. Call ahead before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room. Tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.

There are simple things you can do to help keep yourself and others healthy. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food, Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, Stay home when you are sick, Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Folks, let’s go hand in hand together with facts, basic handwashing procedures, use of soap and water, alcohol gels if you are on the go, quarantining yourself if you are sick, activate your family emergency plan- who to call, what to do, important numbers accessible, cash on hand, contact list updated, no panic buying as it will give healthcare professionals true scarcity of these items, who truly are the ones needing them. Panicking will not help anyone. Be conscious, be aware, be informed, know when to call your physician, practice safe hygienic measures at all times and you will be okay. Let’s pray together that this will be eradicated soon and vaccine will be found. God bless us all.

Excerpts from CDC.gov