8 New Habits You Should Adopt In A COVID-19 Era

In December 2019, when the Coronavirus outbreak broke out in Wuhan, China, it was a pretty much unknown disease. Fast forward to August 2020, over 830,000 lives have perished around the world. If this figure is not scary enough for you to adopt new stringent habits, you must rethink your stance.

1. Heightened need for cleaning and disinfection

Regular cleaning and disinfection may have been your routine safety regimen, but, the keyword here is ‘heightened.’ Most bacterial and fungal infections in the body require antibiotic treatment. However, the contagion at the centre of the pandemic is a virus called SARS-COV 2 and antibiotics do not work against them. Their inability to destroy viruses is due to the differences in cell structure between bacteria and viruses. An antibiotic would function by directing its potency against a bacteria’s growth speed.

Are you aware viruses multiply faster than bacteria? For this reason, a heightened cleaning and disinfection regime immediately eliminates the rate at which the virus would multiply.

Alcohol and bleach or chlorine-based cleaners are most effective against the Coronavirus. If you have to use it at home, you must be cautious because there is a recommended concentration. At home, you can use a concentration of one part of 5% strength household bleach to 49 volumes of water.

It would help if you also used alcohol with a 70 to 90% concentration to disinfect your surfaces at home or work. The best way is to initially clean with water and soap to remove dirt before disinfection. When cleaning, you must endeavour to begin from the least soiled to the most soiled. The reason behind this is to avoid spreading dirt to the least soiled area.

2. Wear approved nose and face masks

The reason behind wearing face masks is to act as a protective shield for you. However, there is a science to it. The SARS-COV 2 (the virus) outside of a host is inactive but potentially infectious for a while. They possess nothing of the features a living organism should have on its own; such as mobility.

What they do is to lie in wait for someone to get in contact with them. As sneaky as the virus is, it thrives in the upper respiratory tract and begins to multiply. Your face/nose mask acts as the first line of defence against the virus. Without your nose mask, your nose and mouth are defenceless.

 One in every five people who get infected develop breathing difficulty and require medical care. Unfortunately, if you are over 60years old or have an underlying health condition (such as Asthma, diabetes or hypertension), your chances of survival could be limited.

The mask may feel uncomfortable initially, but you will get used to it. Moreover, you can find a variety of nose masks if you shop online. Dynamic Gift is an online store where you are bound to find comfortable, secure, unbranded, and hypoallergenic nose masks to purchase as a wholesaler or retailer.

3. Avoid touching your face

As you read earlier, you already know the virus needs a host to survive. In the unlikely event that you touched a contaminated surface, your face should be a no-go area.

Your eyes, nose and mouth are entry points to the respiratory tract. That is the reason.

Therefore, for the avoidance of doubt altogether, avoid touching this part of your body unless you wash and sanitize your hands thoroughly.You should know that once the virus is inside your cell, it can reproduce and make 10,000 copies of itself in a few hours. Armed with this knowledge, you must adopt the conscious habit not to touch your face. 

4. Adopt social distancing protocols

Also described as “physical distancing,” this is a safety measure by keeping a safe gap between yourself and others who may not be from your household. The WHO recommended distancing is a minimum of 6 feet, whether indoors or outdoors.

But did you know the science behind this? Respiratory droplets when you cough or sneeze can travel up to six feet! Imagine spit on a catapult. Now that sounds disgusting. You know now why you must not ignore keeping a safe distance from others.

5. Cover your nose & mouth when you cough or sneeze at all time

The medical reason behind the need to cover your nose and mouth is to limit passing on respiratory droplets containing infectious pathogens to others. Besides, it is good etiquette to do so.The other medical reason is that viruses live through humans and animals. They survive by intertwining to cells. If you sneeze or cough without covering these facial parts, you risk infecting others. It goes the other way too.

6. Increased intake of fruits and vegetables

Your body needs its immune system to be in tiptop shape at all times. Your soldiers require weapons to fight threatening intruders and enemies.

In the same way, vitamins derived from fruits and vegetables are the necessary nutrients required by your body’s immune system. Vitamins enhance the fighting potency of white blood cells, the disease-fighting soldiers within the body.

7. Stick to information about the disease from credible sources only

Your ability to remain sane during the pandemic is a skill and habit required for your mental and emotional health. At this time, many fake news channels attempt to draw attention to themselves by churning out inaccurate news content. Stick to credible news sources on your television or other. The BBC, CNN, ABN, CNBC are examples of such credible news outlets.

8. Work from home if you can

The contagion as you have already learnt spreads by close contact, and by breaking this chain, you may live. By working from home, you restrict yourself to virus-free spaces which are potentially not infected. You limit your chances of infection and enhance the safety of your family. On a brighter side, employers who formerly refused this working style consider it a necessity now.

Your new daily habits and positive changes made to your lifestyle are the new normal. Stay safe as you protect yourself and others.