Covid-19: Keep calm & wash your hands

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Covid-19: Keep calm & wash your hands

On the 5th of March 2020, the first case of Covid-19 was positively diagnosed in South Africa. For most, this was not entirely unexpected and was deemed an inevitability given the rate at which the virus has spread on a global level. At this point in time there are over 100,000 diagnosed cases of the virus worldwide, which have in turn resulted in 3,497 deaths, most of which have occurred in Wuhan, China – the site of the outbreak, with Italy boasting the second highest death toll by country, followed closely by Iran.

The South African that was positively diagnosed this week was a 38 year old male who had recently travelled from Italy via Dubai to Kwa-Zulu Natal, arrived back in the country on the 1st of March, and presented no symptoms on arrival. However, by the 3rd of March, this had changed and the patient in question sought medical attention. The doctor advised that the patient be tested for the novel coronavirus and the results came back positive. Both the patient and the doctor consulted were placed in varying levels of isolation, the doctor more so as a precautionary measure. The patient is currently being treated at Grey’s Hospital, which is one of the hospitals that has been allocated for the containment and treatment of the virus should more cases be diagnosed. Since then, another 6 members from the same trip, including the first patient’s wife, have all tested positive and are in quarantine.

Part of the virus containment strategy involves tracing and tracking down the other plane passengers that may have been seated near, or had come into contact with the diagnosed patient. These people, along with their direct family members will be placed in quarantine until it has been determined that they do not have the virus. The first diagnosed patient is believed to be on the mend and will remain in self-isolation until he has been given the all clear. The subsequent diagnosis of six more patients has left South Africans questioning how on earth we avoid contracting it ourselves.

Zweli Mkhize, minister of health, has urged South Africans not to panic in light of the first confirmed cases. People need to take the necessary, logical precautions in order to mitigate the risk of contracting the virus. These include simple measures such as maintaining personal hygiene by  washing your hands thoroughly and often, with water and soap, as well as using alcohol-based sanitisers when need be. According to Dr Sarah Borwein, “twenty seconds has been shown to be the minimum amount of time it takes to really remove germs.”  In addition to ensuring that you maintain your own personal hygiene, another area to be considered is the workplace – surfaces that encounter high levels of contact by multiple parties such as desks, kitchens and keyboards should also be sanitised regularly as the virus is spread through the contamination of surfaces such as these.

Be aware of the symptoms – which include fever, shortness of breath, coughing and other flu-like symptoms. If you present any of these, do not panic; rather seek medical assistance where necessary. However, the Department of Health advises calling the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) first in order to prevent unnecessary human contact. Should you present any of these symptoms or be concerned that you may have Covid-19, please don’t hesitate to contact the NICD on 080 002 9999. It is estimated that the virus could infect between 40% and 70% of the world’s adult population based on the rate in which it has spread over 80+plus countries so far, however this has yet to be confirmed. The important thing to do now is to keep calm and keep washing those hands – twenty seconds or it doesn’t count.

2020-03-16T11:27:31+02:00

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