What is a coronavirus? What makes it so dangerous? How can you protect your family? What to do if you test positive?

A coronavirus is part of a family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases, for example, pneumonia. Seven of them are known to infect humans. In the past few years, three have jumped from animals to humans. Therefore, they are zoonotic – it means they can be transmitted between humans and animals, for example, bird flu &, swine flu. MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus ) which caused a flu outbreak in the Middle East was transmitted from dromedary camels to humans and was first identified in 2012.

COVID-19 is caused by a new strain of the coronavirus that appeared in December 2019 and was first identified in China patients. Scientists are unsure where it came from.

 

COvid-19 Tracker: South Africa

South Africa

Confirmed

2,356,049

+13,719 (24h)

Deaths

69,075

+450 (24h)

Recovered

2,133,196

90.54%

Active

153,778

6.53%

COvid-19 Tracker: Worldwide

Country	Cases	24h	Deaths	24h	%	Recovered	%	Active
USA	35,283,050	67,460	626,658	426	1.8%	29,497,876	83.6%	5,158,516
India	31,331,145	39,441	420,038	536	1.3%	30,495,352	97.3%	415,755
Brazil	19,632,443	45,460	548,420	1,286	2.8%	18,331,462	93.4%	752,561
Russia	6,078,522	23,811	152,296	795	2.5%	5,450,004	89.7%	476,222
France	5,953,071	19,561	111,591	26	1.9%	5,672,089	95.3%	169,391
UK	5,637,975	36,389	129,044	64	2.3%	4,434,939	78.7%	1,073,992
Turkey	5,574,997	11,094	50,821	60	0.9%	5,410,554	97.1%	113,622
Argentina	4,827,973	15,622	103,359	285	2.1%	4,464,987	92.5%	259,627
Colombia	4,705,734	13,164	118,188	352	2.5%	4,462,579	94.8%	124,967
Italy	4,307,535	5,143	127,937	17	3%	4,120,846	95.7%	58,752
Spain	4,280,429	31,171	81,221	27	1.9%	3,683,457	86.1%	515,751
Germany	3,760,270	1,864	92,024	34	2.4%	3,643,300	96.9%	24,946
Iran	3,645,654	21,814	88,273	210	2.4%	3,220,445	88.3%	336,936
Indonesia	3,082,410	49,071	80,598	1,566	2.6%	2,431,911	78.9%	569,901
Poland	2,881,948	108	75,235	4	2.6%	2,653,172	92.1%	153,541
Mexico	2,709,739	16,244	237,626	419	8.8%	2,120,815	78.3%	351,298
South Africa	2,356,049	13,719	69,075	450	2.9%	2,133,196	90.5%	153,778
Ukraine	2,247,419	763	52,811	21	2.3%	2,183,642	97.2%	10,966
Peru	2,099,522	0	195,547	0	9.3%	-	0%	1,903,975
Netherlands	1,833,668	6,395	17,792	3	1%	1,663,091	90.7%	152,785
Czechia	1,672,140	197	30,347	0	1.8%	1,638,606	98%	3,187
Chile	1,606,358	1,645	34,875	83	2.2%	1,559,891	97.1%	11,592
Philippines	1,537,097	6,845	26,891	0	1.7%	1,455,137	94.7%	55,069
Iraq	1,535,848	8,905	18,167	66	1.2%	1,394,536	90.8%	123,145
Canada	1,425,702	605	26,539	13	1.9%	1,394,612	97.8%	4,551
Bangladesh	1,146,564	6,364	18,851	166	1.6%	978,616	85.4%	149,097
Belgium	1,112,161	1,751	25,217	2	2.3%	1,054,822	94.8%	32,122
Sweden	1,096,799	0	14,615	0	1.3%	1,074,360	98%	7,824
Romania	1,082,057	104	34,266	2	3.2%	1,047,117	96.8%	674
Pakistan	1,000,034	1,425	22,939	11	2.3%	923,472	92.3%	53,623
Malaysia	980,491	15,573	7,718	144	0.8%	825,387	84.2%	147,386
Portugal	947,038	3,794	17,264	16	1.8%	876,240	92.5%	53,534
Israel	857,977	991	6,457	0	0.8%	841,354	98.1%	10,166
Japan	857,799	5,397	15,106	9	1.8%	808,413	94.2%	34,280
Hungary	809,101	85	30,020	0	3.7%	745,277	92.1%	33,804
Jordan	763,437	331	9,933	4	1.3%	746,015	97.7%	7,489
Serbia	719,664	202	7,098	3	1%	709,778	98.6%	2,788
Switzerland	712,668	791	10,903	0	1.5%	691,377	97%	10,388
Nepal	676,708	1,982	9,679	18	1.4%	639,368	94.5%	27,661
UAE	668,601	1,521	1,913	3	0.3%	646,227	96.7%	20,461
Austria	655,589	392	10,730	0	1.6%	640,430	97.7%	4,429
Morocco	569,668	1,910	9,536	19	1.7%	540,474	94.9%	19,658
Tunisia	558,306	0	18,052	0	3.2%	453,865	81.3%	86,389
Lebanon	553,615	744	7,890	1	1.4%	535,663	96.8%	10,062
Kazakhstan	516,117	6,119	5,244	64	1%	441,437	85.5%	69,436
Saudi Arabia	515,693	1,247	8,141	11	1.6%	496,810	96.3%	10,742
Ecuador	480,720	936	30,797	20	6.4%	443,880	92.3%	6,043
Greece	471,894	2,852	12,858	7	2.7%	425,958	90.3%	33,078
Thailand	467,707	14,575	3,811	114	0.8%	320,152	68.5%	143,744
Bolivia	466,318	967	17,576	30	3.8%	396,914	85.1%	51,828
Paraguay	448,508	644	14,550	49	3.2%	410,297	91.5%	23,661
Belarus	438,767	1,103	3,376	11	0.8%	432,655	98.6%	2,736
Panama	427,987	1,138	6,743	13	1.6%	408,155	95.4%	13,089
Bulgaria	423,575	135	18,193	4	4.3%	398,132	94%	7,250
Costa Rica	398,608	1,139	4,941	8	1.2%	322,423	80.9%	71,244
Georgia	398,081	2,460	5,656	20	1.4%	370,565	93.1%	21,860
Slovakia	392,259	40	12,534	0	3.2%	379,318	96.7%	407
Kuwait	390,794	926	2,273	9	0.6%	373,507	95.6%	15,014
Uruguay	380,151	240	5,919	6	1.6%	371,116	97.6%	3,116
Croatia	362,305	176	8,245	0	2.3%	353,103	97.5%	957
Guatemala	347,496	3,275	10,063	34	2.9%	302,441	87%	34,992
Azerbaijan	339,645	371	5,002	3	1.5%	331,782	97.7%	2,861
Dominican Republic	339,302	400	3,931	0	1.2%	292,697	86.3%	42,674
Cuba	316,383	7,784	2,203	66	0.7%	276,689	87.5%	37,491
Palestine	315,968	92	3,596	5	1.1%	311,380	98.5%	992
Denmark	310,127	707	2,542	0	0.8%	295,717	95.4%	11,868
Venezuela	296,863	0	3,443	0	1.2%	280,269	94.4%	13,151
Sri Lanka	292,608	1,310	4,002	43	1.4%	265,708	90.8%	22,898
Ireland	290,525	1,386	5,026	0	1.7%	264,767	91.1%	20,732
Oman	289,042	0	3,498	0	1.2%	263,752	91.3%	21,792
Honduras	285,375	1,188	7,558	23	2.6%	97,200	34.1%	180,617
Egypt	283,947	41	16,477	7	5.8%	227,068	80%	40,402
Lithuania	280,541	233	4,409	0	1.6%	268,521	95.7%	7,611
Ethiopia	278,233	128	4,365	2	1.6%	262,750	94.4%	11,118
Bahrain	268,338	113	1,381	0	0.5%	266,123	99.2%	834
Myanmar	258,870	5,506	6,459	326	2.5%	177,021	68.4%	75,390
Slovenia	258,525	58	4,426	0	1.7%	253,281	98%	818
Moldova	258,484	119	6,240	4	2.4%	251,347	97.2%	897
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	229,604	2,171	3,344	22	1.5%	185,468	80.8%	40,792
Armenia	228,382	221	4,579	4	2%	218,796	95.8%	5,007
Qatar	224,948	114	600	0	0.3%	222,727	99%	1,621
Bosnia	205,420	36	9,675	2	4.7%	188,460	91.7%	7,285
Kenya	195,898	787	3,838	12	2%	184,885	94.4%	7,175
Zambia	190,615	884	3,221	25	1.7%	179,171	94%	8,223
S. Korea	185,733	1,630	2,066	3	1.1%	164,206	88.4%	19,461
Nigeria	170,623	317	2,131	1	1.2%	164,780	96.6%	3,712
Algeria	159,563	1,350	4,026	18	2.5%	109,349	68.5%	46,188
Macedonia	156,017	36	5,489	0	3.5%	150,263	96.3%	265
Kyrgyzstan	155,005	1,127	2,227	10	1.4%	132,138	85.2%	20,640
Mongolia	153,782	1,243	761	6	0.5%	146,977	95.6%	6,044
Afghanistan	143,666	227	6,393	36	4.4%	91,170	63.5%	46,103
Latvia	138,382	38	2,550	0	1.8%	135,295	97.8%	537
Norway	135,463	228	799	0	0.6%	88,952	65.7%	45,712
Albania	132,828	31	2,456	0	1.8%	130,118	98%	254
Estonia	132,262	84	1,271	0	1%	128,314	97%	2,677
Uzbekistan	122,786	738	819	5	0.7%	117,303	95.5%	4,664
Namibia	115,009	609	2,714	49	2.4%	90,761	78.9%	21,534
Mozambique	107,309	1,443	1,232	11	1.1%	82,299	76.7%	23,778
Finland	102,042	412	978	0	1%	46,000	45.1%	55,064
Montenegro	100,929	64	1,624	0	1.6%	98,777	97.9%	528
Ghana	100,250	276	819	1	0.8%	95,871	95.6%	3,560
Botswana	97,657	0	1,375	0	1.4%	84,189	86.2%	12,093
Cyprus	96,202	895	398	0	0.4%	76,464	79.5%	19,340
Zimbabwe	95,686	2,265	2,961	91	3.1%	62,986	65.8%	29,739
China	92,462	48	4,636	0	5%	87,163	94.3%	663
Uganda	91,710	355	2,496	13	2.7%	73,062	79.7%	16,152
El Salvador	84,144	0	2,538	9	3%	75,608	89.9%	5,998
Cameroon	82,003	132	1,334	2	1.6%	80,433	98.1%	236
Vietnam	81,678	7,307	370	0	0.5%	15,536	19%	65,772
Maldives	76,546	92	218	0	0.3%	73,710	96.3%	2,618
Luxembourg	73,412	103	821	0	1.1%	71,117	96.9%	1,474
Cambodia	71,244	825	1,222	34	1.7%	63,474	89.1%	6,548
Singapore	63,924	133	36	0	0.1%	62,587	97.9%	1,301
Rwanda	62,328	953	718	14	1.2%	44,739	71.8%	16,871
Senegal	55,861	1,041	1,264	8	2.3%	44,611	79.9%	9,986
Jamaica	51,686	144	1,168	1	2.3%	46,794	90.5%	3,724
Côte d'Ivoire	49,473	87	324	0	0.7%	48,724	98.5%	425
DRC	47,404	130	1,021	0	2.2%	29,389	62%	16,994
Malawi	47,265	848	1,439	29	3%	36,019	76.2%	9,807
Madagascar	42,581	20	939	2	2.2%	40,999	96.3%	643
Angola	41,629	224	981	4	2.4%	35,284	84.8%	5,364
Sudan	37,138	0	2,776	0	7.5%	30,867	83.1%	3,495
Trinidad and Tobago	37,065	181	1,026	8	2.8%	30,256	81.6%	5,783
Réunion	34,615	0	266	0	0.8%	32,036	92.5%	2,313
Cabo Verde	33,504	52	297	0	0.9%	32,663	97.5%	544
Malta	33,370	172	420	0	1.3%	30,356	91%	2,594
Australia	32,588	162	916	1	2.8%	29,743	91.3%	1,929
French Guiana	29,419	0	170	0	0.6%	9,995	34%	19,254
Syrian Arab Republic	25,853	0	1,905	0	7.4%	21,933	84.8%	2,015
Gabon	25,309	0	163	0	0.6%	25,050	99%	96
Guinea	24,823	0	195	0	0.8%	23,719	95.6%	909
Suriname	24,573	0	626	0	2.5%	20,846	84.8%	3,101
Mauritania	23,223	0	517	0	2.2%	21,085	90.8%	1,621
Swaziland	21,880	0	735	0	3.4%	19,392	88.6%	1,753
Fiji	21,829	468	172	11	0.8%	5,521	25.3%	16,136
Guyana	21,733	0	515	0	2.4%	20,009	92.1%	1,209
Haiti	19,762	0	523	0	2.6%	13,332	67.5%	5,907
Mayotte	19,465	5	174	0	0.9%	2,964	15.2%	16,327
French Polynesia	19,234	0	145	0	0.8%	18,945	98.5%	144
Guadeloupe	17,779	0	238	0	1.3%	2,250	12.7%	15,291
Seychelles	17,747	0	89	0	0.5%	16,889	95.2%	769
Papua New Guinea	17,581	0	192	0	1.1%	17,177	97.7%	212
Martinique	15,612	0	99	0	0.6%	104	0.7%	15,409
Taiwan	15,535	24	784	2	5%	13,753	88.5%	998
Somalia	15,180	18	781	0	5.1%	7,277	47.9%	7,122
Togo	14,970	169	143	3	1%	13,986	93.4%	841
Mali	14,532	5	530	0	3.6%	13,119	90.3%	883
Andorra	14,498	34	127	0	0.9%	13,988	96.5%	383
Tajikistan	14,427	68	116	0	0.8%	13,964	96.8%	347
Belize	13,893	0	332	0	2.4%	13,201	95%	360
Bahamas	13,781	0	274	0	2%	12,158	88.2%	1,349
Burkina Faso	13,537	0	169	0	1.2%	13,350	98.6%	18
Curaçao	13,135	97	126	0	1%	12,352	94%	657
Congo	13,117	67	176	0	1.3%	11,759	89.6%	1,182
Lesotho	12,679	0	357	0	2.8%	6,621	52.2%	5,701
Hong Kong	11,974	2	212	0	1.8%	11,693	97.7%	69
Djibouti	11,634	6	155	0	1.3%	11,466	98.6%	13
Aruba	11,325	32	109	0	1%	11,058	97.6%	158
South Sudan	10,917	0	117	0	1.1%	10,514	96.3%	286
Timor-Leste	10,281	54	26	0	0.3%	9,529	92.7%	726
Nicaragua	9,108	0	194	0	2.1%	4,225	46.4%	4,689
Equatorial Guinea	8,863	15	123	0	1.4%	8,637	97.5%	103
Channel Islands	8,427	187	86	0	1%	5,182	61.5%	3,159
Benin	8,324	0	107	0	1.3%	8,125	97.6%	92
Gambia	7,161	0	197	0	2.8%	6,080	84.9%	884
Central African Republic	7,147	0	98	0	1.4%	6,859	96%	190
Iceland	7,054	87	30	0	0.4%	6,653	94.3%	371
Yemen	7,003	2	1,372	0	19.6%	4,163	59.4%	1,468
Eritrea	6,491	11	33	1	0.5%	6,249	96.3%	209
Sierra Leone	6,206	0	118	1	1.9%	4,207	67.8%	1,881
Burundi	6,128	110	8	0	0.1%	773	12.6%	5,347
Niger	5,596	2	195	0	3.5%	5,296	94.6%	105
Saint Lucia	5,516	20	88	1	1.6%	5,319	96.4%	109
Liberia	5,396	0	148	0	2.7%	2,715	50.3%	2,533
San Marino	5,099	0	90	0	1.8%	5,002	98.1%	7
Chad	4,967	2	174	0	3.5%	4,780	96.2%	13
Gibraltar	4,753	21	94	0	2%	4,336	91.2%	323
Lao People's Democratic Republic	4,342	223	5	0	0.1%	2,174	50.1%	2,163
Barbados	4,330	11	48	0	1.1%	4,098	94.6%	184
Guinea-Bissau	4,148	31	74	0	1.8%	3,778	91.1%	296
Comoros	4,014	0	147	0	3.7%	3,849	95.9%	18
Isle of Man	3,649	225	29	0	0.8%	1,638	44.9%	1,982
Mauritius	3,388	207	19	0	0.6%	1,854	54.7%	1,515
Liechtenstein	3,073	0	59	0	1.9%	2,996	97.5%	18
New Zealand	2,855	20	26	0	0.9%	2,749	96.3%	80
Monaco	2,757	13	33	0	1.2%	2,617	94.9%	107
Sint Maarten	2,698	0	34	0	1.3%	2,622	97.2%	42
Bermuda	2,535	0	33	0	1.3%	2,487	98.1%	15
Saint Martin	2,481	0	38	0	1.5%	1,399	56.4%	1,044
Bhutan	2,470	12	2	0	0.1%	2,215	89.7%	253
Turks and Caicos Islands	2,461	2	18	0	0.7%	2,404	97.7%	39
Sao Tome and Principe	2,420	3	37	0	1.5%	2,345	96.9%	38
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	2,271	0	12	0	0.5%	2,199	96.8%	60
British Virgin Islands	2,210	0	23	0	1%	588	26.6%	1,599
Caribbean Netherlands	1,691	1	17	0	1%	1,647	97.4%	27
Antigua and Barbuda	1,280	2	43	0	3.4%	1,229	96%	8
St. Barth	1,005	0	1	0	0.1%	462	46%	542
Faroe Islands	958	0	1	0	0.1%	877	91.5%	80
Diamond Princess	712	0	13	0	1.8%	699	98.2%	0
Cayman Islands	627	0	2	0	0.3%	618	98.6%	7
Saint Kitts and Nevis	560	0	3	0	0.5%	519	92.7%	38
Tanzania	509	0	21	0	4.1%	183	36%	305
Wallis and Futuna	445	0	7	0	1.6%	438	98.4%	0
Brunei	311	0	3	0	1%	269	86.5%	39
Dominica	209	0	0	0	0%	196	93.8%	13
Grenada	164	0	1	0	0.6%	161	98.2%	2
New Caledonia	131	0	0	0	0%	58	44.3%	73
Anguilla	113	0	0	0	0%	111	98.2%	2
Greenland	85	1	0	0	0%	59	69.4%	26
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)	63	0	0	0	0%	63	100%	0
Macao	56	0	0	0	0%	53	94.6%	3
Holy See (Vatican City State)	27	0	0	0	0%	27	100%	0
Saint Pierre Miquelon	26	0	0	0	0%	26	100%	0
Montserrat	21	0	1	0	4.8%	19	90.5%	1
Solomon Islands	20	0	0	0	0%	20	100%	0
Western Sahara	10	0	1	0	10%	8	80%	1
MS Zaandam	9	0	2	0	22.2%	7	77.8%	0
Marshall Islands	4	0	0	0	0%	4	100%	0
Vanuatu	4	0	1	0	25%	3	75%	0
Samoa	3	0	0	0	0%	3	100%	0
Saint Helena	2	0	0	0	0%	2	100%	0
Micronesia	1	0	0	0	0%	1	100%	0

How does it spread?

In short:

• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Touching public surfaces (counters, doors, elevator buttons, handles, communal pens, public transport, etc.)
• Person-to-person contact (shaking hands, close contact, talking, etc.)

Image: Pixabay

It’s likely to be transmitted in droplets from coughing or sneezes from infected persons. An infected person can also share the virus by talking and breathing since it also produces tiny droplets in the air. Some say microscopic droplets from a sneeze can hang in the air for 3 hours infecting people. Most respiratory droplets fall to the ground within a few feet of the infected person.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health, Princeton, and the University of California, Los Angeles exposed various materials to the lab’s virus. They found that it remained virulent on surfaces for a lengthy period: from up to 24 hours on cardboard to up to two or three days on plastic and stainless steel.

A study in Germany has found that people can transmit the virus when they don’t even know they have it yet or have only a few symptoms.

A small study out of China suggests that the new coronavirus can persist in the body for at least two weeks after symptoms of the disease clear up.

What makes the coronavirus so dangerous?

How does it precisely affect the lungs? What kind of damage does it cause?

LUNGS – it is here where the disease begins and ends for most people. Coronaviruses cause respiratory infections.

Stage one:

The coronavirus targets human lungs cells and invades them quickly when the virus enters the body through the mouth or nose (or even mucous membrane of the eyes).

There are 2 types of human lung cells – one cell type produces mucus to protect lung tissue, and the other are hair-like buttons called cilia, which removes pollen, viruses or objects from the lungs in a wave-like motion.

If the cilia aren’t working, the lungs’ routine cleaning can occur, and the person’s lungs fill up with debris and fluids. This causes difficulty with breathing and shortness of breath.

Stage two:

When your body senses an invader like the coronavirus, your immune system responds by sending an army of immune cells to the infected area. The immune cells work to clear the area and repair the lung tissue.

In normal lungs, your immune system’s reaction is highly regulated and confined to the affected area, killing only invaders. However, with corona, the immune system can go haywire and start killing anything in their way – healthy cells. The immune response can cause more bad than good because more debris and fluids are clogging up the lungs. The person presents with pneumonia in both lungs. Pneumonia is lung inflammation caused by a bacterial or viral infection, in which the air sacs fill with pus and may become solid.

Stage three:

More lung damage now causes respiratory failure. Some patients die, and some end up with permanent lung damage. Lesions are caused by the coronavirus that gives the lungs a honeycomb appearance.   Chest scans can reveal COVID-19’s distinctive pattern of pneumonia.

It causes the immune system to dump cytokines into the lungs without any regulation.  Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and associate research scientist at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, describes it as attacking an invader with a missile launcher instead of just a gun.  It weakens blood vessels in the lungs and causes fluid to seep through to the air sacs. You basically drown because of the fluid in your lungs – normal respiration cannot take place with lungs full of fluids.

The immune response implications extend outside the lungs with elevated liver enzymes, a lower white blood cell and platelet count, and low blood pressure. The reaction spills over to the rest of your body because multiple organs now are affected by the cytokine response—combined with a diminished capacity to pump oxygen to the rest of the body—it can result in multi-organ failure and death.

Source:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/02/here-is-what-coronavirus-does-to-the-body/

What are the symptoms of coronavirus infection?

The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure:

Initially, a sore throat that lasts three to four days 

FEVER   –    COUGH    –    DIFFICULTY BREATHING    –    SHORTNESS OF BREATH

• Pneumonia in both lungs

 

Please note: THE NORMAL Flu vaccine will not protect you against corona

The flu vaccine helps you not get seasonal flu, which might weaken your lungs and put you at greater risk if you should contract a coronavirus.

Is there a vaccine available?

Vaccines are available since 2021. There are, however, too few to vaccinate everyone. South Africa has started a vaccination programme. It started with the vaccination of all healthcare workers. Currently, specific age groups are targeted and vaccinated, along with people in the education sector and police.  It might be another year before it will be available to all.

How can best protect my family and me against it?

• HONOR THE LOCKDOWN – ADHERE TO THE ALL THE RULES
• WASH YOUR HANDS/ WASH YOUR HANDS/ WASH YOUR HANDS/ WASH YOUR HANDS!

ONE: Hand cleaning is of utmost importance all day long: when you have done shopping; been to a bathroom; when you enter your home; when you prepare food; before you eat or drink; when you start or leave your workplace; when you use an ATM or credit card machine.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser if you can’t get to a sink. You do not need fancy disinfectants to wash your hands – good old-fashioned soap and water do the trick.

NOTE: A hand sanitiser must contain at least 60 -70 % alcohol. If you run out of alcohol hand sanitisers, look for other products with high alcohol content, for example, mouth wash (94%), Stroh rum (60% to 80%).  METHYLATED SPIRITS also kills many germs and is a useful sanitiser for toilet seats and other fittings.

TWO: If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue and throw it away afterwards. We don’t know how long the coronavirus survives on clothes or your hands – refrain from coughing in the elbow of your shirt or into your hands without a tissue.

THREE: Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth if your hands aren’t clean. It isn’t easy because we touch our faces 100’s of times per day. If it will help you not to touch your face, wear a mask. It can be a washable homemade mask made of cotton. It will not protect you against the coronavirus in the air – only N95 masks can do that. If you are already sick with coughing and sneezing – also wear a mask so that you limit the spread of your germs to other people.

FOUR: Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick. If you know someone is sick – keep your distance from them.

FIVE: Clean surfaces you often touch:  Your smartphone is like a third hand. Wipe it down. Door handles, taps, TV remotes, telephones,  laptops, kettles, fridge & cupboard door handles, steering wheel & gear stick,  and the door handle of your car. If there are many corona cases in your area – think of what could become infected and needs a wipe with an alcohol, JIK or Biocide solution daily. Wipe right: Use ammonia or alcohol-based products. Skip the baby wipes.

Ultraviolet light can be a potent disinfectant, and we get a lot of UVA light from the sun. Direct sunlight can help rapidly diminish the infectivity of viruses on surfaces.

SIX: Stay home from work, school and public areas if you’re sick. Period.

If you are still healthy:

• Avoid crowds anywhere.
• Don’t visit malls or shops during peak hours.
• If you have to go to the shops, send only one person only – now is not the time for family shopping excursions.
• Disinfect your hands when you enter and leave the store.
• Touch as few things as possible.
• If you stand in a queue to pay – make sure there is 1.5 -2 m between you and the next person. Respect the request for social distancing.

SEVEN: Stock up on home supplies, medicine and resources (at least a 30-day supply) should a mass quarantine be enforced. Limit your trips to shopping malls. 

EIGHT: Boost your immune system. It is a good idea to drink a Vitamin C (sustained-release) product every day of your life. Echinaforce® is a clinically proven, herbal product that helps prevent and treat colds, flu, and upper respiratory tract infections. It also helps prevent the complications of colds and flu.  Other products that enhance a strong immune system are colloidal silver, colostrum, probiotics.

Reduce or eliminate your intake of sugar. Sugar paralyze your immune system for hours after the information. A robust immune system can help you to have mild flu, instead of becoming critically ill.

If you have a pre-existing lung condition (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, lung cancer) or are on immuno-suppressants, now is a great time to talk to your doctor or specialist about what they would like you to do if you get sick.

NINE: If you begin to have a high fever, shortness of breath or any other more serious symptom, the best thing to do is to call 0800 029 999 in South Africa to let them know and inquire about next steps.

Coronavirus starts deep in the lungs, and the most common signs are fever and dry cough, followed by fatigue and shortness of breath.

If you have any of these symptoms, please make every effort to remain at home.

Don’t go to the office; don’t drive the kids to school; don’t go to the store; don’t ride public transportation. If children exhibit any illness, they too should remain home from school.

Advice for how to handle it if you actually test positive:

You basically want to prepare as though you know you’re going to get a nasty respiratory bug, like bronchitis or pneumonia. You have the foresight to know it might come your way!

You DO NOT NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL unless you are having trouble breathing or your fever is very high (over 39°C) and is not brought down by taking paracetamol. 90% of healthy adult cases thus far have been managed at home with essential rest/hydration/over-the-counter medications. For symptom management and a fever over 38°c, take Paracetamol, not Ibuprofen.

NOTE: Antibiotics work only on bacteria. They do not work against viruses. The coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, is a virus and, therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment.

HELPLINE:

You are welcome to chat with an online counsellor for more advice: LIVE CHAT

NATIONAL HELPLINE SOUTH AFRICA:

0800 029 999

MORE HELP

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