How To Protect From The Coronavirus (5 Simple Ways)

On 11th March, World Health Organization (WHO) declared Coronavirus as a pandemic and pointed towards sustained risk of further global spread. The Director of WHO further said that it is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that will touch every sector. The world is in the grip of coronavirus and everyone is talking / sharing posts or news about how to protect from the coronavirus. In this post I am going to share with you 5 simple tips to safeguard yourself and family from coronavirus.

1. Don’t Panic

If you take a close look around your neighborhood you will notice people are crossing the line from ‘caution’ to ‘fear’. I notice people are stacking up masks and sanitizers in huge numbers as if the virus has affected a million people and is going to kill everyone in a matter of few days.

The level of anxiety and fear by which people are responding to this virus is because majority of them don’t know the facts and are triggered by negative events / news or rumors floating around them.

2. Know The Facts

Coronavirus is highly infectious however the mortality rate is quite low. The mortality rate ranges between 2-3%. It is significantly less severe than 2003 SARS (9-10%) outbreak. The risk of death is higher in older people and people having pre-existing health conditions (source).

Coronavirus appears to be relatively rare and mild in children and young adults (source). As of now just over 2% of cases were under 18 years of age. Most of the symptoms can be treated with timely medical care and majority people can recover from it in 2 weeks.

An infected person can spread the infection to a healthy person through close contact. It can spread through contact with contaminated surfaces, objects, or items of personal use. It can even spread, if your eye, nose and mouth comes in contact with the droplets produced on coughing or sneezing by an infected person.

Most medical experts claim that Coronavirus survives up to 8-10 hours over surfaces like paper, cardboard, sponge and fabric. It survives a little more 10-12 hours over surfaces like glass, plastics, metals, varnished wood.

You can suspect to have coronavirus only if you have symptoms like fever, cough, shortness of breath (source) plus if you have a travel history to a coronavirus-affected area like China or Italy. You can even get infected with this virus if you are visiting a healthcare facility / labs where coronavirus patients are being taken care of.

There is no strong evidence as yet which proves that coronavirus can be passed through food. It is not known to spread directly through poultry products. However, experts say it is better to have only properly cooked meat. Also, there is no scientific evidence that proves that eating garlic can protect against coronavirus.

As per experts, heat and warm weather is likely to decrease the spread of coronavirus. Also, when it comes to wearing a mask, it is suggested to wear a 3-layer disposable surgical masks to contain the virus. N-95 or N-99 masks are not mandatory.

Till date no case has been reported of pets or other animals becoming sick with coronavirus, that said it is strongly recommended washing your hands before and after you interact with your pets. As an infected person’s droplets produced on coughing or sneezing can get on your pet’s fur.

3. Maintain High Standards Of Personal & Public Hygiene

Wash your hands regularly with water and soap. If not soap then have an alcohol-based sanitizer ready. Don’t touch your eyes, mouth or nose with unclean hands.

Keep your distance of at least 1 meter from anyone coughing or sneezing. Follow no-touch greeting like “Namaste” or “hand waving” instead of “handshake or hug”.

Do not sneeze or cough into your hands. Use a tissue and throw it immediately or sneeze in the inner side of your elbow. If you are sick avoid traveling to crowded places. Do wear a mask if you are sick and also if you are taking care of someone with the symptoms.

Make sure your mouth and throat are always moist. Drink some water every 30 minutes. Even if the virus gets into your mouth, drinking water or other fluids will help wash it down the esophagus into the stomach. When the virus is in the stomach, the hydrochloric acid in your stomach will kill the germs.

If you do not drink enough water regularly, then there are chances that the virus can enter the airways and into your lungs, and this can be fatal.

4. Boost Your Immunity By Coronavirus Meditation

One of the best ways to combat coronavirus is to build a strong immune system. Meditation is a great tool to build a strong immune system. Not just that, meditation helps in managing stress, anxiety and negative emotions which often gets triggered these days due to constant news regarding coronavirus.

Let me share with you a 1-Minute Meditation technique which you can perform any time during the day to calm your mind instantly right away.

Do you have a minute right now? Then let’s do this right away as you read this post. First get your mobile and set a timer for 1 minute. Find a comfortable place to sit, you can even sit on a chair and ensure your back is straight.

Press the ‘Start’ button on the timer, first take a normal breath. Now breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your chest and lower belly to rise as. Let your abdomen expand fully. Now breathe out slowly through your mouth or nose if that feels more natural. Pause. One more time, breathe in, this time a little slower and deeper and breathe out. Pause. Continue till your timer beeps after one minute.

What you just did is a mini meditation. How do you feel? Can you notice the difference, how was your state of mind before doing this mini meditation and after doing this quick 1 minute session? I am guessing you are feeling a bit less stressed. Deep abdominal breathing fosters full oxygen exchange due to which it slows the heartbeat and lowers blood pressure.

Now that you know how this technique works, I encourage you to practice this every couple of hours for a month and experience the difference. It only takes 60 seconds!

Enjoyed the 60 seconds Mini Meditation?

Discover The Power of Breathing To Build A Strong Immune System

5. Quick Test – To Find Out If You Are Infected With Coronavirus

I came across this self-monitoring technique, which a Japanese doctor suggested doing every morning to check if we are infected with this virus:

Take a deep breath and hold your breath for more than 10 seconds. If you can do this successfully without coughing and without difficulty, without anxiety or chest tightness, it shows that you do not have fibrosis and generally indicate no infection. Try this every morning in a fresh air environment.

Final Thoughts

Coronavirus is pandemic and is spreading rather quickly. As an individual what you can do is take certain steps to practice good hygiene, eat healthy, exercise regularly and follow a regular meditation practice to manage your mental health and build a strong immune system.

To learn how to set up a daily meditation practice effortlessly, I highly recommend you check out >>>

Master Your Mind Beginner’s Meditation Course