While we wait with fingers crossed for the festival season here’s some tips and updates about the Coronavirus.

What is the Coronavirus

Why is everyone so worried.

Every year we get normal ‘flu seaons and we’ve had Ebola, SARS and Bird’Flu so why is everyone so worried.

How does it spread

Because it’s a new illness, it’s not known exactly how coronavirus spreads from person to person.  However, similar viruses are spread in spray droplets from when someone coughs or sneezes either either though air or from being picked up from surfaces.

How far away from someon should I be

What is the best thing we can do

In partical terms the best thing we all can do is practice good basic hygeine, which means:

• Washing hands with soap and water on a regular basis, or using hand gels (hand gels need to have at least 60% alhohol to be effective)
• Catching sneezes and coughs when the happen either in a tissue or in the crook of your elbow, and throw away the tissue straight away and then wash you hands.
• Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose or mouth as much as possible

You can see that the guidance above focusses around stopping transmision from surfaces.  The point behing catching coughs and sneezes in a tissue is that it not only stops the spread in th air but the other risk of coughing into your had and then you tocuhin something leaving the virus there for someone to pick up later.

What have we been asked to do

The approach has changed and if anyone has the below:

• a high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
• a new, continuous cough – this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly

We are being aksed to stay at home and self isolate for 7 days.

How bad is it