Behavioral Changes To Mitigate Infection Risks

Some experts recommend the following examples of best practices behavioral changes that may be adopted to help mitigate risk and prevent personal infection, presumes close contact fomites, airborne and fecal oral, and curtail the spread of the SARS COV 2 virus.

1. Wear gloves at all times especially in public. You can wear garden gloves, work gloves, mittens, gorilla gloves to be protected, especially if you live in a densely populated environment. Do not touch your face with these gloves. You must disinfect the gloves once you arrive at your home with a bottle of 10 parts water and 1 parts Clorox in a spray bottle.

2. In a social situation do not kiss someone's cheek or shake their hand including fist or elbow bumping. When you cannot wear gloves, do not touch your face or your eyes for any reason, if you must use the back of your hand.

3. You should constantly acquire new gloves or disinfect old ones if possible. Wearing gloves lead to less face touching.

4. A surgical style mask should be worn in public at all times, try to maintain a “N95” level of protection. N95 will reduce inhalation and exhalation of small particles.  Masks must be replaced periodically and must be properly removed to prevent contamination including disinfecting the front of the mask before you remove it with Clorox solution as described above

5. If someone is sick in the home, coughing or sneezing, they must wear a mask at all times. They do not need to be of the “N95” level, but they have to be on the face protecting from plumes of spittle occurring after sneeze or cough as the virus particles are transmitted into the air. Their stool and fecal elements should be considered infectious.

6. There is no question the virus is transmitted up to 6 feet away from an infected carrier and may loiter in air for 30 minutes. That makes it very difficult to remove oneself from elevators, lobbies of buildings, social interactions including public transportation vehicles, subway train stations, airports and supermarkets/shopping malls. Limit travel and activities in public places to bare minimum during this period of time, go early or late.

7. All bath towels in the home that are utilized by family members must be used directly by that family member and no one else. All towels should be placed in places where they can dry quickly as virus can be attached to moist towels and can be incubated in moist environments. Wash all towels and bedsheets including those after someone has been ill with 1/8 cup of Clorox.

8. Try not to touch door handles, doorknobs, levers, elevator buttons without some sort of barrier. Use gloves, or the edge of a shirt, but do not touch them directly with bare hand if you do please wash hands after contact. Wash hands often with soap and water.

9. Do not share drinks, straws or cups. Do not use other people’s straws. Wash all cups in very hot water and avoid using eating utensils without washing them especially in restaurants or ordering take out.

10. Try to eat only cooked foods that have been prepared and sterile conditions. Do not eat raw food especially from sushi vendors or less clean places, including airports and malls. There is a possible fecal oral route or transmission.

11. Try to keep windows open in the home or office if possible, to create ventilation to prevent accumulation of air with potential viral particles. A HEPA filtered air purifier is helpful tool to reduce dust and virus elements. 

12. Purchase a thermometer and carry it with you then you do not have to use someone else's. 100.4 F (38 C) and above is a true fever. A pulse oximeter, to monitor blood oxygenation, can provide a key piece of information too. O2 sats @ 93% -94% and above is acceptable for most, lower is a danger zone.

 13. If someone is in the home that is ill only touch them with gloves, do not attempt to care for someone who is demonstrating symptoms of the virus, dry cough, head ache, fever, loose stool, but call physician or EMS, explain the situation and request proper evaluation and treatment. 

14. Try not to linger too long and public areas including malls, train stations and airports and other places where there are high levels of commuters.

15. Sadly, dogs and cats have been known to contract the virus, this is a real possibility.

16. If you do become ill, you must self-isolate if possible, for up to 14-21 days.

17. Flush the toilet with the lid closed so feces cannot become aerosolized into particulates. In Hong Kong, it has been shown to be infectious in high rises though air ducts of bathrooms.