Coronavirus Prevention Guidelines: What To Do To Keep Yourself And Others Safe

Coronavirus Prevention Guidelines: The Chart highlights the impact of protective measures such as avoiding crowded places, limiting travel, social distancing and regular hand washing hygiene in slowing down the exposure of new Covid-19 cases and reducing the risk of overstretched health care system.

History of Human Coronavirus and their Types:

There are 4 main sub-groupings known as the following:

• Alpha
• Beta
• Gamma
• Delta

Human coronavirus were first noticed in the mid 1960’s. The seven coronavirus that infect people are:

• 229E (alpha coronavirus)
•  NL63 (alpha coronavirus)
•  OC43 (beta coronavirus)
•  HKU1 (beta coronavirus)  
• MERS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS)
• SARS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS)
• SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19)  

Coronavirus Prevention Guidelines – Till now a total of 182,319,261Covid-19 cases have been confirmed across the world with a death of 3,954,324 people accounting for 2.16% of the worlds population.

Still, the threat of the coronavirus is far from over. The moment there is a sign of slight improvement, a mutated variant of the virus emerges. The Delta and the Delta+ variant of the virus are going to be the dominant strains in the future. As the virus continues to mutate with greater lethality, our preventive action also needs to be stronger and swifter like never before. The Delta+ variant also known as AY.1 spreads faster with cross-contamination, attaches more easily to the lungs and potentially resistant to monoclonal antibody therapy.

• The mutated Delta+ variant is related to an existing variant of concern Delta, first identified in India in the year 2020. The variant has been responsible for driving the deadly 2^nd wave of infections this summer in India with peak no. and deaths.
•  The Delta+ variant has been detected in around 40 samples from six districts in 3 states, Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh. Among the total, at least 16 of the samples were found in Maharashtra, one of the worst states affected by the pandemic.
• Apart from India, the Delta+ variant has also been found in nine countries- the USA, UK, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Poland, Nepal, Russia and China. The Delta strain on the other hand has already spread to 80 countries.

Coronavirus Prevention Guidelines: How To Keep Yourself And Others Safe?

1. Wear a correct/appropriate Face Mask:

The coronavirus is mainly transmitted through viral particles floating in the air or via droplets containing the virus. Even asymptotic persons can infect another without any signs of symptoms. Masks help in minimizing the spread; that is why it has been recommended in addition to the physical distancing. The recommendation is to wear masks made up of three or more layers of breathable fabric or wear multiple surgical 3 plug mask. Surgical masks are also very effective. The masks should cover your nose with nose pin and mouth and fit against the side of the face without leaving any gaps.

Although N95 masks have better efficiency and filter, the medical-grade masks should be reserved for only healthcare and frontline workers.

2. Vaccination: Coronavirus Prevention Guidelines

To eliminate the effects of any virus, vaccine has always been the first line of defence. Polio vaccination and its subsequent elimination is one of the more successful stories of an efficient vaccination program. Vaccine administration has been progressing at a fair speed. Even countries lagging behind research & development, capabilities are getting good assistance for procurement to vaccinate the domestic population. Get yourself vaccinated at the earliest possible chance. Vaccine manufacturers across the world are ramping up production capacities to vaccinate the entire global population of 7.8 Billion in the next 2-3 years. Based on the following methods, some of the major vaccine available across the continents are shown below:

Vaccines all over the world have been categorized in to 4 major types based on the development process:

• RNA Vaccines
• Inactivated virus vaccines
• Adenovirus vector Vaccines
• Protein subunit vaccines

Benefits of Getting A Covid-19 Vaccine:

• Resumption of normal business activity. Vaccinated certification is mandatory to travel across the international border.
• It is certainly the best prevention measure considering the odds of getting infected with Covid-19 is drastically reduced.
• It ensures the security and safety of your loved near and dear ones.
• Dispel the feeling of constant fear and paranoia in the backdrop of rising fatalities.
• Vaccination is also the best line of defence for the senior citizens against the Covid-19.

Worldwide Vaccination Statistics:

• 23.5% of the world population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
• 3.09 billion Doses have been administered globally and 40.91 million are now administered each day.
•  Only 0.9% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.

3. Avoid The 3Cs’ – Closed, Crowded And Close Contact

Some of the major outbreaks and  super spreader events have been reported from restaurants, nightclubs, offices, fitness classes, choir practises and places of worship where people have gathered in closed space with loud talking, shouting, breathing and singing.

The risk of infection increases proportionately in crowded and poorly ventilated spaces where infected people spend long period of time in a close proximity.  

Make an effort to meet people outside as it is safer than the outdoor ones. Avoid crowded and indoor settings; if you are unable to take precautions, open a window increasing the amount of natural ventilation allowing for dilution of the virus as fresh air enters the internal surroundings. 

4. Practice Good Hygiene 

Good hygiene is the basic fundamental for a safe and healthy living. However, it was missing from our day to day activities by many people. Covid-19 has made us learn and understand the importance of good hygiene. Adopt the following steps and make them a part of the daily routine.

Clean your hands regularly and thoroughly preferably with an alcohol-based hand rub or with soap and water. This results in elimination of germs that may be infesting your hands.

 Limit contact with eyes, nose and mouth as surface touched by hands may result in transferring the virus inside your body and resulting in infection.

While coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with bent elbow or tissue. The tissue after use should be disposed of immediately with a thorough hand wash. Following good respiratory hygiene allows you to protect people around you from the virus that can cause flu, cold and Covid-19.

5. Disinfect surfaces that are regularly touched as it may be the source of cross- contamination.

Install air purifier with active air purification technology: Air Purifier is not a luxury anymore as it has become a necessity. Investment in an air purifier is an effective way to combat the threat of the coronavirus. One such breakthrough technology developed and looked into by scientists is the Active air purification technology of RGFs-US PHI (Photo hydro ionization). It can act as a preventive solution against the threat of the pandemic.

The patented technology releases atmospheric hydrogen peroxide into the air as a result of photo catalytic oxidation. The action is similar to what the sun does in the morning. The hydrogen peroxide molecule neutralizes the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus in the air rendering it harmless and making the air clean and safe again for breathing. It disinfects the surface as well so there is no need to clean surfaces with harmful chemicals.

Traditional passive air purifiers with media filters are effective for PM 2.5 capable of removing particles at 0.3 microns with 99.97% efficiency. It may capture the particle even as small as 0.1 microns or MPPS. On the other hand, Active air purification technology like PHI in the Plug & Play Air Purifier neutralizes the virus at the source in the air by altering the DNA/RNA of the microbial and rendering them inactive to allow for easy breathing. The life of the PHI-Cell is 30,000 hours.

• The PHI-Cell has been tested and proven by both the Indian (CCMB-CSIR, ICMR approved lab) and the US lab (Innovative Bio analysis lab) over SARS-COV-2 with reduction of 99.97% from both the surfaces as well as the air.
• The technology has also been tested for its effectiveness over other respiratory diseases like Asthma, TB, Pneumonia, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), Bronchitis, etc.

6. Ensure well-ventilated house, offices and spaces

It may sound a repeated concept but an open house with good ventilation ensures that there is a continuous supply of fresh air inside the living premises. For an office, the ideal ventilation rate should be 20 CFM/person. CFM stands for Cubic Feet Minute. Well-ventilated space ensures that air is not stale which can be a breeding ground for harmful pollutants including some deadly microbial. Constant recirculation of air makes sure that pollutants do not remain at the same place for a long time. Ventilation is allotted least importance while making a building/offices/ residences. Air changes rate or air changes per hour are an important metrics while deciding on the ventilation level. Ideally, air changes rate for the kitchen should be 15-60/hour while for the residences it should be 1-2 per hour.

Source: Coronavirus Prevention Guidelines

1. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-57564560
2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/preventing-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus
3. https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/control-prevention
4. https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_COVID-19_vaccine_authorizations
6. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/types.html
7. https://www.who.int/