Q & A COVID-19

Practicing hand and respiratory hygiene at all times is very important, and is the best way to protect others and yourself.

If possible, keep your distance from others at least 1 meter especially if you are near someone who is coughing or sneezing. As some infected people may not have symptoms yet or their symptoms are still mild, maintaining physical distance from everyone is the best effort if you are in an area where COVID-19 is spreading.

source: WHO

If you have been in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19 then you are likely to be infected.

Close contact means living or being less than 1 meter away from a person infected with COVID-19. If this is the case, it is strongly advised not to leave the house.

However, if you live in an area where there are cases of malaria or dengue fever, then it is important not to ignore the symptoms of fever. Seek medical attention immediately. When you go to a health facility, wear a mask if possible, keep at least 1 meter away from other people, and do not touch surfaces with your hands. If the sick person is a child, help the child to follow this advice.

If you do not live in an area where there are cases of malaria or dengue fever, do the following:

• If you are sick, even if the symptoms are very mild, you should self-isolate.
• Even if you do not realize you have been exposed to COVID-19 and are experiencing symptoms, self-isolate and monitor yourself.
• You are more likely to infect others in the early stages of the disease even if your symptoms are mild; therefore self-isolation is essential.
• If you have no symptoms, but have been exposed to an infected person, self-quarantine for 14 days.

If you are infected with COVID-19 (confirmed by testing), self-isolate for 14 days even after symptoms disappear as a precautionary measure, although it is not known exactly how long patients can still be infectious after being declared cured. Follow national guidelines on self-isolation.

source: WHO

Self-isolation is an important action taken by people who have COVID-19 symptoms to prevent transmission to others in the community, including family members.

Self-isolation is when a person who has a fever, cough or other COVID-19 symptoms stays at home and does not go to work, school or public places. This is done voluntarily or on the recommendation of a health care provider.

However, if you live in an area with cases of malaria or dengue fever, you should not ignore fever symptoms. Seek medical attention immediately. When you go to a health facility, wear a mask if possible, keep a distance of at least 1 meter from other people and do not touch the surface of objects with your hands. If the sick person is a child, help the child adhere to this advice.

If you do not live in an area with cases of malaria or dengue fever, do the following:

• If a person is self-isolating, it means that the person is sick but not severe (does not require medical attention).
• Provide your own large room with good air circulation and equipped with hand washing facilities and a toilet.
• If this is not possible, separate the bed from other people with a minimum distance of 1 meter.
• Keep a minimum distance of 1 meter from other people, including family members.
• Monitor the symptoms experienced every day.
• Self-isolate for 14 days even if you feel well.
• If you have difficulty breathing, contact your healthcare provider immediately - call ahead if possible.
• Stay positive and upbeat by keeping in touch with loved ones via phone or online media and by exercising at home.

source: WHO

Self-quarantine means separating yourself from others because you have been exposed to someone infected with COVID-19 even if you have no symptoms. During self-quarantine, monitor your symptoms. The purpose of self-quarantine is to prevent transmission. As people infected with COVID-19 can transmit rapidly to others, self-quarantining immediately can prevent others from contracting the infection.

In this case:

• Provide your own large room with good air circulation and equipped with hand washing facilities and a toilet.
• If this is not possible, separate the bed from other people with a minimum distance of 1 meter.
• Keep a minimum distance of 1 meter from other people, including family members.
• Monitor your symptoms daily.
• Self-quarantine for 14 days even if you feel well.
• If you have difficulty breathing, contact your healthcare provider immediately - call ahead if possible.
• Stay positive and upbeat

However, if you live in an area with cases of malaria or dengue fever, you should not ignore the symptoms of fever. Seek medical attention immediately. When you go to a health facility, wear a mask if possible, keep a distance of at least 1 meter from other people and do not touch the surface of objects with your hands. If the sick person is a child, help the child adhere to this advice.

source: WHO

Quarantine means restricting activities or separating people who are not sick but may be exposed to COVID-19. The aim is to prevent the spread of the disease when the person is just starting to develop symptoms.

Isolation means separating people who are sick with COVID-19 symptoms and may be contagious to prevent transmission.

Physical distancing means being physically separated. WHO recommends keeping at least 1 meter away from other people. This distance is a general measure of how far everyone should keep from each other even if they are fine without knowing whether they have been exposed to COVID-19 or not.

source: WHO

Research shows that children and adolescents are at the same risk of infection and transmission to others as other age groups.

To date, evidence suggests that children and adolescents are less likely to develop serious illness, although serious illness can still occur in this age group.

Children and adults should follow the same guidelines on self-quarantine and isolation if there is a possibility that they have been exposed or are starting to show symptoms. It is especially important for children to avoid contact with parents and others at risk of serious illness.

source: WHO

Stay up to date with the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak available on the WHO website and through your local ministry of health and health office. In many countries around the world, cases and even outbreaks of COVID-19 have occurred. The Chinese government and the governments of some other countries have managed to slow down the outbreak in their territories. However, the situation remains unpredictable. Therefore, stay tuned for the latest news.

You can reduce your risk of being infected or spreading COVID-19 by taking a few precautions:

• Wash your hands frequently with clean running water and soap, or an alcohol-based hand rub. Washing your hands with clean running water and soap, or an alcohol-based hand rub kills the virus on your hands.
• Keep a distance of at least 1 meter from other people. Why? When a person coughs, sneezes or talks, they release droplets from their nose or mouth and these droplets can carry the virus. If you are too close, you can inhale these droplets and also the COVID-19 virus if the person is infected with the disease.
• Avoid going to crowded places. When people gather together in a crowd, you are more likely to come into close contact with a person infected with COVID-19 and it is more difficult to maintain a physical distance of at least 1 meter.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Hands touch various surfaces and the virus can be attached to them. Contaminated hands can bring the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth, which can be the point of entry for the virus into your body and make you sick.
• Make sure you and those around you practice cough and sneeze etiquette by covering your mouth and nose with a folded elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing, discarding the used tissue immediately. Splashing can spread the virus. By following cough and sneeze etiquette, you protect those around you from viruses such as coughs, colds, flu and COVID-19.
• Stay home and self-isolate even if you only have mild symptoms such as cough, headache, and low-grade fever until you recover. Ask someone to bring you supplies. If you must leave the house, wear a mask to avoid infecting others. Avoiding contact with others will protect them from possible transmission of COVID-19 and other viruses.
• If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention immediately and keep your condition informed. Follow the directions of your local health department. The ministry of health and local health offices have the latest information about the situation in your area. By informing them of your condition in advance, the health workers who will be treating you can immediately direct you to the right health care facility. This also protects you and helps prevent the spread of viruses and other infections.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest information from trusted sources, such as WHO, regional health offices, and the ministry of health. Why? Regional health offices and ministries of health are trusted sources for providing guidance to communities in their regions on what to do to protect themselves.

source: WHO

While some western, traditional and home-made remedies can alleviate and reduce the mild symptoms of COVID-19, there is no proven medicine that can prevent or cure COVID-19. WHO does not recommend self-medicating with any drugs, including antibiotics, to prevent or cure COVID-19. However, several clinical trials are underway for both western and traditional medicines. WHO is coordinating efforts to develop vaccines and drugs to prevent and treat COVID-19 and will continue to provide updates as clinical findings become available.

Effective ways to protect you and others from COVID-19 are:

• Wash hands regularly and thoroughly
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
• Practice cough and sneeze etiquette by covering your mouth and nose with a folded elbow or tissue. If using a tissue, discard it immediately after use and wash your hands.
• Keep physical distance from other people at least 1 meter

source: WHO

Currently, there is insufficient evidence to advise or discourage the use of masks (whether medical masks or other types) by healthy people in the community. However, WHO actively keeps abreast of the changing knowledge regarding mask use and continues to update its guidance.

Medical masks are recommended primarily in healthcare, but may be considered in other circumstances (see below). Medical masks should be combined with other key infection prevention and control measures such as hand hygiene and physical distancing.

Healthcare workers

Medical masks and respirators such as N95, FFP2, or equivalent are recommended and should be reserved for healthcare workers when caring for patients. Close contact with COVID-19 suspects or confirmed individuals and their surrounding environment is the primary mode of transmission; this means healthcare workers are the most exposed people.

People who are sick and showing symptoms of COVID-19 Why? Any sick person with mild symptoms such as muscle aches, mild cough, sore throat, or fatigue should isolate at home and wear a medical mask in accordance with WHO recommendations on home care for COVID-19 suspected patients. Coughing, sneezing or talking can produce droplets that can be a source of transmission. These droplets can get on the faces of other people nearby and the surrounding environment. If an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks while wearing a medical mask, the use of a mask can help protect those nearby from infection. If a sick person needs to go to a healthcare facility, they should wear a medical mask.

Anyone caring for someone at home infected with COVID-19 Why? Those caring for people infected with COVID-19 should wear medical masks for protection. Again, frequent prolonged close contact with people infected with COVID-19 puts caregivers at high risk. National policy makers may also recommend the use of medical masks for specific individuals based on a risk-based approach. This approach considers the purpose of the mask, the risk of exposure and vulnerability of the wearer, the place, how likely the mask is to be used, and the type of mask that should be considered.

source: WHO