THE NOTORIOUS CORONA VIRUS: HOW SHOULD WE REACT?

There’s nothing else on the news nowadays, but the novel Corona virus. And at first we Indians thought it’s just something to do with China. Little did we know that it’ll soon cover the whole world wide! Even India has many cases now, and all people- students, teachers, office-goers, regular hospital patients and all kinds of workers have been affected.

I can barely believe that such a microscopic virus, which can’t even be seen by normal microscopes, has dominated the entire world and brought human greed and pride down to knees. In fact, rivers, roads and public places are now less polluted and Mother Earth is probably thanking this little friend of Hers, who is currently on a mission, perhaps to eradicate all humans on this planet! I’m only joking.

Yes, we need to be scared of this virus. But we should neither ignore it nor fear it as much as death. Covid-19 does not necessarily mean ‘death’. If we are careful enough, we can eradicate this virus, without letting IT eradicate us!

We need not fear it so much actually. Even among those who have been affected, the majority of the people just suffer mild symptoms and go home, cured.

MEN OR WOMEN?

Men and women are equally affected, but more Covid men have died than Covid women. Children below the age of 9 are not at all affected until now.

THE ELDERLY ATTACHMENT: The another major feature of this virus is that, it is more attached to elderly people than youngsters. Most deaths are reported to be of elderly people and most of them were suffering from some additional problem, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension or cancer.

It’s not such a silly thing to be ignored, nor is it too ghastly to worry yourself out. Here are some things you must definitely do for the sake of yourself and the people surrounding you:

WASH HANDS:

Viruses cannot be seen, so you never know when they have met your hands, or to be more precise, palms. Whenever you go out, whenever you ARE out in the public, if you feel you have touched things which other people have already touched, like maybe door handles, lamp-posts, vehicle hand-bars, bus-handles etc., immediately use a hand-sanitizer or wash your hands using soap if possible. You have to do it as quickly as possible, because you never know if you have been infected right away, and we must be kind enough to not gift the virus to others also.

STAY 1 METRE AWAY:

If you see anyone coughing or sneezing or having the symptoms of cold, immediately distance yourself from that person. We do not know who is infected with Covid-19 in the crowd. Do not sneeze or cough in public places. Use masks if you have cough or cold, so that you will not infect others.

AVOID CROWDS:

All the tips mentioned above are when you are in crowds. Best way is to avoid entering into crowds at all. Even if other people don’t mind Covid, we must, for our safety.

WEAR MASKS:

Why masks? Covid is not airborne, but it is transmitted in the form of droplets. So, if someone infected with Covid sneezes or coughs, and you happen to be near this person, and this virus-droplet enters your body through eyes, nose or mouth, then darn it, even you’re infected!

So such dangers can be avoided if you use masks. This is the main reason why people suspected to be infected are quarantined (or isolated) from others so that they don’t spread the virus.

SAY NAMASTE:

It’s better to avoid greetings which involve body contact like shakehands, hugs, or even High-Fives. Say Namaste with folded hands or a wave of the hand to say ‘Hi’ will be more than enough.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU’RE INFECTED?

You’ll never know when and how you got infected, to be frank. That is what makes this virus so infamous and fearful. After getting infected also, you’ll probably feel the symptoms like cold, cough and find breathing hard. If such things happen, it is important to immediately visit the hospital without keeping close contact with people around you. You’ll get to know whether you are infected with Covid-19 only after some days. That is why this viral disease is creating much trouble for hospitals and the government. Therefore, we must not add to their problems by not following safety measures and not reporting to the hospital if you’re feeling ill.

We can expect more darker days ahead, as the number of cases in India are rising day by day. We must be responsible and act cautiously. Crowds, parties, and unnecessary functions should be cancelled for the safety of all. If the government announces any safety measures and instructions, then it is our duty to follow it. If there is a ban on something, people should have enough sense to obey it correctly. Let’s hope that we will be able to say goodbye to this deadly virus soon and do all the things that were already scheduled perfectly, without any obstacles.