India is
fighting against the pandemic of Corona virus infection. Just like rest of the
world now cases have started raising in India. Till date maximum patients of
COVID-19, are concentrated in the metropolitan cities and big towns. Our
villages and small towns are still protected from the cases and infection of
corona virus. Ongoing lockdown has created a fear and confusion in the minds of
people who are economically backward regarding the availability of daily wages and
food in the cities. Also there is a fear in the minds of people of getting
infected by corona virus if they stay more in the big cities like Delhi,
Mumbai, Hyderabad etc. Because of which many of the labourers and workers have
started travelling back to their home towns or towards their villages.
If you are among
those who have travelled back to their home town or village via a crowded bus
or vehicle be aware! You might be carrying corona virus infection inside your
nose and throat.
Are
you aware that a person infected with corona virus infection does not show any
sign or symptom for first 2 to 14 days after getting infected by corona virus
(as Incubation period of corona virus is 2 to 14 days)? Because of which you
are not aware whether you are carrying a corona virus in your nose and throat
or not. In this situation if you have recently travelled through heavily
crowded buses, trains or vehicles please be aware and follow below given preventive
measures to keep yourself and your family healthy.
As soon as you
reach your home town or village in rural area health workers may screen you for
signs of upper respiratory tract infection. If they find that you are suffering
from upper respiratory tract infection, then they will ask you to quarantine in
a place identified by health department of the state for quarantine purpose.
There they will take a nasopharyngeal swab and will send it to labs for RT-PCR,
for detecting corona virus infection. Test results will come in two to three
days till then you have to co-operate health workers and remain quarantine in
the same building. If your test results come negative, they will allow you to
go to your home. But if your test
results come positive health workers and doctors will keep you in isolation
till your two test report done 24 hours apart will come negative. If during
screening you are not symptomatic or does not give any history of contact with
suspected or confirmed case, then they will allow you to go home immediately.
Remember
corona infection can be dangerous for your family member particularly older
parents, relatives and pregnant ladies. After reaching home there are certain
simple preventive measures you should follow to keep yourself and your family
safe and healthy:
·
As soon as you reach home don’t hug and meet
family members too closely. Maintain a distance of at least 1 meter between you
and your family members.
·
Before entering house wash your hands and legs
properly with soap and water, while doing this see that you should rub soap on
your hands at least for 20-40 seconds.
·
Whatever luggage and bags you are carrying with
you keep them outside your home under sun at least for one day, so that we can
disinfect all your luggage by using sun rays.
·
As soon as you enter the house head towards the bathroom
and have a clean bath with hot water and soap.
·
Wash your own clothes with regular detergent and
hot water and dry them under sunlight.
·
After this as much as possible restrict your
movement inside one room and avoid attending social gatherings in the community
or don’t allow visitors to visit you, at least for 14 days.
·
Wash your hands every 2-3 hourly with soap and
water.
·
Cover your face with handkerchief or tissue
paper while coughing and sneezing. If both are not available you can use your upper sleeve, not your
hands. Burn your used tissue papers to disinfect them.
·
Do not
touch your face, eyes and nose again and again, unnecessarily.
·
If you
have any doubt in the mind regarding, you have traveled along with any
suspected case of corona virus or who has any signs of upper respiratory tract
infection in recent past then you should be more careful and vigilant. In such
situation it will be better to get home quarantined. In that case you have to
stay in a separate room, alone for next 14 days.
·
Please prefer
a room for home quarantine with attached toilet bathroom. It should be well
ventilated and with large windows.
·
Whatever
electronic gadgets like mobile and remote you are using in that room should not
be touched by other family members.
·
Limit the
number of caregivers. Ideally, assign one person who is in good health and has
no underlying chronic or immuno-compromising conditions.
·
Visitors should not be allowed until you completely
recover and has no signs or symptoms of COVID-19.
·
Clean and
disinfect bathroom and toilet surfaces at least once daily with regular
household soap or detergent and then with disinfectant containing 0.1% sodium
hypochlorite.
·
Do not
share utensils and clothes and beddings used by you with other family members.
Wash and clean clothes and utensils used by you on your own to avoid infection
to other family members.
·
Have healthy,
vegetarian balanced diet with plenty of water.
·
Enough
rest (sleep of 7-9 hours per day), practice of yoga and meditation will improve
your immunity to fight against the corona virus infection.
·
You can
do salt water gargles and drink lukewarm water during this period to keep your
respiratory tract free from microorganisms.
·
COVID-19
is not a sexually transmitted disease but can transmit because of close contact
and touch. Avoid sexual contact with your spouse during this period.
·
During
these 14 days of quarantine do not drink alcohol or smoke as, alcohol reduce
immunity and smoking make respiratory tract more prone for infection.
·
Stay away from vulnerable members of the family and
society like old age person (>60 years), pregnant woman, children < 10
years of age, persons suffering from hypertension, diabetes mellitus, kidney
failure, liver failure, AIDS, lung disease, heart disease etc.
·
During
this period of home quarantine if you develop any symptom like dry cough, fever
or difficulty in breathing, immediately contact health workers or call on
24*7 , toll free helpline number: 1075. They will guide you and suggest
you further treatment.
Last but
not the least, case fatality rate from corona virus infection is 2-4%, rest all
96 to 98 % patients get totally cured with proper treatment and care.
So don’t
be afraid of corona. Stay Home, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!
Prepared
by Dr
Pratima Gedam & Dr Jugal Kishore, Department of Community Medicine,
VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi
