Wondering what the symptoms of COVID-19 and what steps you can take to prevent the spread of this virus? Read on to find out!
COVID-19 or the novel coronavirus does not seem to be slowing down. Due to the daily increase in the number of cases, people throughout the world have started panicking and feeling overwhelmed. However, this is not the time to let your fears take over; instead, you need to stay levelheaded and learn as much as you can about ways to keep yourself safe during this pandemic. After all, the best way to deal with mass panic created due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 is to keep an eye out for its symptoms and practice the ways outlined by CDC to stay safe.
Here are the symptoms of COVID-19:
Symptoms of COVID-19
The signs and symptoms of COVID-19 might appear anywhere between 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. These symptoms include:
- Dry cough
- Fever
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Apart from these common symptoms, some infected people are also experiencing tiredness, body aches, runny nose, headaches, sore throat, vomiting, and even diarrhea. In the worst-case scenario, older COVID-19 patients with underlying or preexisting diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart diseases, might experience severe symptoms and damage to their lungs. With that said, some people might not exhibit any symptoms at all.
Now, let’s take a look at how you can protect yourself from this virus:
How to Protect Yourself from COVID-19
At present, there is no vaccine or medicine for COVID-19, which is why the best practice to avoid contracting this disease and curtail its spread is to follow the guidelines set by the CDC. Here are the steps that you can take to protect yourself from COVID-19:
- Avoid going to large events and mass gatherings.
- When out in public, stay at least 6 feet away from other people.
- If the novel coronavirus is spreading within your locality, make sure to practice social distancing and don’t step out of your house unnecessarily.
- Wash your hands as often as possible with water and soap for a good 20 seconds. In case you don’t have access to soapy water, keep some hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content on hand at all times.
- Whenever you cough or sneeze make sure to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Discard the tissue in a lidded bin right away.
- Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes with unclean hands.
- If you are sick or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, then quarantine yourself within a separate room of your home and avoid contact with your family members.
- Clean and disinfect all high-touch surfaces in your home regularly. These include doorknobs, handles, light switches, countertops, keyboards, phones, etc.
Furthermore, if you have to step out of the house, then make sure that you are wearing a cloth mask on your face. This is especially recommended if you are going to a public place such as a pharmacy or a grocery store or any other place where it’s difficult to avoid contact with people. This is because there are many asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 who can easily transmit the virus to you, without even knowing it.
Using masks in public might help reduce the spread of the virus. However, make sure that you use a cloth mask and don’t stock up on surgical or N95 masks. This is because these masks are already short in supply and they should be reserved for healthcare practitioners, paramedics, and other frontline workers who are exposed to COVID-19 daily.
If you have reason to believe that your home was exposed to COVID-19, then get it professionally cleaned and disinfected by us today! Give us a call at (509) 818-7744 and we can discuss what a cleaning and disinfecting plan may look like. We service all of Spokane County including Spokane, Spokane Valley, Cheney, Liberty Lake, Airway Heights, Deer Park and Mead.
