Coronavirus infection can prove to be devastating not only for health but for economic well being of the whole family. I have been a medical college student so understand just a bit more than a common person about viruses and viral diseases. I am outlining some of the important points regarding coronavirus infection.
Virus what is it?
A virus is a bundle of chemical in a protein and an outermost lipid or fat coat. A virus is non-living so you cannot kill it. A virus is harmless as long as kept away from human cells. The moment a virus enters a human cell it becomes active. The moment an infected human being moves virus also moves otherwise the virus is stationary.
How can I be safe from a COVID infection?
You can be totally safe from COVID infection if you stay indoors and do not allow anyone to enter your home. Anyone means anyone friends or relatives included. No servants no courier boys nothing; however it is not possible so I am outlining what I do to protect myself from Coronavirus infection.
I do not go out!
I try my best not to go out except for very urgent work! At present the only urgent work that requires my going out is buying medicines for parents and getting milk, bread, butter etc.
For getting milk, butter, breads etc. I buy in bulk. I buy so much stuff that I do not have to go out for at least four days. I write down what I require on a piece of paper very clearly and in big letters and I hand it over to the milk booth guy and then I move backwards all the time wearing an N95 mask, clear glasses covering my eyes and a cap. I also handover a cloth bag to the guy. He keeps all the stuff in the bag and writes the total on the paper, I hand him over the money trying my best not to talk. If you do not talk and the other person also does not talk there is very little possibility of airborne infection and vice versa.
I get home and wash all the stuff in detergent mixed virus making sure I wash my hands afterwards.
For bread packets I carefully open them using a razor and drop all the bread onto a dish without it touching outside of the packet ditto with butter.
For medicines I repeat the above procedure except that for sanitizing them I use an empty Colin sprayer filled with dishwash liquid and water. I spray on the outside of all medicine bottles and blister packs and keep them away for at least 24 hours.
For fruits and vegetable I wash them in a tub with a very dilute solution of dishwash liquid and then remove the dishwash liquid under direct running water making sure that they remain under running water for a long time. I never use hot water that will spoil the fruits and vegetables rightaway. I do not go out to buy them instead I phone up the sabziwala and he dumps all the stuff near my entrance and shouts to me the calculation and I drop the money to him from the first floor making sure he gets a tip too. I talk to him very lovingly otherwise it would not be easy for him to put up with such behaviour but he understands all this.
For groceries I have stopped going out and instead order from amazon pantry or grofers both of which have been very good so far. Both online services have saved me a lot of visits to the market and their delivery is mostly flawless. For this type of delivery I have put one old kitchen dish-stand near the gate, amazon or grofers delivery person phones me up and I tell him to deposit the package on this stand. Afterwards I empty all contents of various packs in clean containers or dishes as the case may be. If there is a second factory sealed pack inside I keep that as it is. I make sure all packaging is thrown away and never enters my home.
If at all I have to buy some groceries I take a list of all items on a paper and then I move out of the house. I never speak to the person at the grocery store as far as possible and I only speak to a servant who wears a mask. Sometimes I tell the person to put on a mask too and so far no one has objected to that. You have to forget about politeness a little bit in these things and must demand that the other person put on a mask.
I never order from online services of cooked food as I just cannot take a chance with that. I have not eaten a sweet since three months now but that is ok with me, neither a cake nor pastry.
Once I get home the first thing I do is remove my footwear outside my flat door and put on new footwear, then I wash my hands and after that I remove my mask, glasses and cap and head straight to take a bath making sure I wash my hair everytime I go out.
Latest update is that after so called unlock whenever I go out to shop I see people without masks, problem is how to cope with this; the answer to that question is face shields. I bought two kinds of face shields one that is just a thick polythene with an elastic band and one that is a polycarbonate glass shield. The polycarbonate has its own use but the thick polythene sheet is more effective. I always wear that when going out to shop for vegetables and feel a lot safer. Only mask is not enough now.
I hope my experience helps others and if you have any questions please ask using comments section.
Virus what is it?
A virus is a bundle of chemical in a protein and an outermost lipid or fat coat. A virus is non-living so you cannot kill it. A virus is harmless as long as kept away from human cells. The moment a virus enters a human cell it becomes active. The moment an infected human being moves virus also moves otherwise the virus is stationary.
How can I be safe from a COVID infection?
You can be totally safe from COVID infection if you stay indoors and do not allow anyone to enter your home. Anyone means anyone friends or relatives included. No servants no courier boys nothing; however it is not possible so I am outlining what I do to protect myself from Coronavirus infection.
I do not go out!
I try my best not to go out except for very urgent work! At present the only urgent work that requires my going out is buying medicines for parents and getting milk, bread, butter etc.
For getting milk, butter, breads etc. I buy in bulk. I buy so much stuff that I do not have to go out for at least four days. I write down what I require on a piece of paper very clearly and in big letters and I hand it over to the milk booth guy and then I move backwards all the time wearing an N95 mask, clear glasses covering my eyes and a cap. I also handover a cloth bag to the guy. He keeps all the stuff in the bag and writes the total on the paper, I hand him over the money trying my best not to talk. If you do not talk and the other person also does not talk there is very little possibility of airborne infection and vice versa.
I get home and wash all the stuff in detergent mixed virus making sure I wash my hands afterwards.
For bread packets I carefully open them using a razor and drop all the bread onto a dish without it touching outside of the packet ditto with butter.
For medicines I repeat the above procedure except that for sanitizing them I use an empty Colin sprayer filled with dishwash liquid and water. I spray on the outside of all medicine bottles and blister packs and keep them away for at least 24 hours.
For fruits and vegetable I wash them in a tub with a very dilute solution of dishwash liquid and then remove the dishwash liquid under direct running water making sure that they remain under running water for a long time. I never use hot water that will spoil the fruits and vegetables rightaway. I do not go out to buy them instead I phone up the sabziwala and he dumps all the stuff near my entrance and shouts to me the calculation and I drop the money to him from the first floor making sure he gets a tip too. I talk to him very lovingly otherwise it would not be easy for him to put up with such behaviour but he understands all this.
For groceries I have stopped going out and instead order from amazon pantry or grofers both of which have been very good so far. Both online services have saved me a lot of visits to the market and their delivery is mostly flawless. For this type of delivery I have put one old kitchen dish-stand near the gate, amazon or grofers delivery person phones me up and I tell him to deposit the package on this stand. Afterwards I empty all contents of various packs in clean containers or dishes as the case may be. If there is a second factory sealed pack inside I keep that as it is. I make sure all packaging is thrown away and never enters my home.
If at all I have to buy some groceries I take a list of all items on a paper and then I move out of the house. I never speak to the person at the grocery store as far as possible and I only speak to a servant who wears a mask. Sometimes I tell the person to put on a mask too and so far no one has objected to that. You have to forget about politeness a little bit in these things and must demand that the other person put on a mask.
I never order from online services of cooked food as I just cannot take a chance with that. I have not eaten a sweet since three months now but that is ok with me, neither a cake nor pastry.
Once I get home the first thing I do is remove my footwear outside my flat door and put on new footwear, then I wash my hands and after that I remove my mask, glasses and cap and head straight to take a bath making sure I wash my hair everytime I go out.
Latest update is that after so called unlock whenever I go out to shop I see people without masks, problem is how to cope with this; the answer to that question is face shields. I bought two kinds of face shields one that is just a thick polythene with an elastic band and one that is a polycarbonate glass shield. The polycarbonate has its own use but the thick polythene sheet is more effective. I always wear that when going out to shop for vegetables and feel a lot safer. Only mask is not enough now.
I hope my experience helps others and if you have any questions please ask using comments section.
