Safety Tips for essential personal
Hey everybody
I return to work today after my precautionary 14 day quarantine (type one diabetes 40 years old puts me at high risk for Covid-19 beating my ass)
I'm curious if any of you had any tips. I've read that putting triple antibiotic ointment in your nostrils can help? I'm wearing a mask, have lots of hand sanitizer and gloves. I wash my hands every time I get the chance.
Basically I'm just looking for all of you to help me calm my fears. Go
Everything but the antibiotic ointment up the snout (which sounds like complete hooey, as we're dealing with a virus and not bacteria) sounds like a good idea.
I'm not sure about the gloves, either. As long you don't stick your ungloved fingers anywhere (eyes, nose, mouth) you should be OK.
Best wishes. Be safe.
The antibiotic ointment up the nose is hooey. It may help soothe damage in dry/cracked nostrils thus preventing other problems(like an infection from nose sores) but not at preventing viruses from entering your body.
It might not have a direct impact on the virus itself, but if antibiotics can prevent bacterial complications if and when people, I think it can be a part of a mitigation strategy. I'm not a doctor so nobody should take advice from me, but I also don't think it can be dismissed as useless.
COVID-19(and influenza) is a virus, not a bacteria. Triple antibiotic ointment contains drugs that are effective against bacteria, but have no effect on viruses.
It seemed to me that the OP's question was asked to prevent the contraction of the virus by sticking ointment in your nose. Triple action antibiotic has a 0% chance of doing that, but yes, it would have an effect on the bacterial complications you mentioned, which it is meant for.
Not sure on the type of mask you have, but adding glasses, goggles or face-shield is a really good idea if only to prevent you from touching your own eyes.
People forget that there are five areas of exposure on your face; 1 mouth, 2 nostrils, and 2 EYES. Mask just helps with reducing the spray area if you have the virus. Just wearing a mask is not going to stop airborne virus to enter your body via eye sockets. If you really want to prevent exposure, you have to wear a full face shield.
Here's your source for science-based information:
Vitamin C supplement like Airborne from walgreens. I hear they're passing our vitamin c like crazy at hospitals because viruses deplete your vitamin c which leaves you more vulnerable
Doesnt hurt Airborne also has zinc in it too
Edit: am I really being negged for recommending an immune system supplement? It just includes vitamin C. Sister is a nurse and claims it's something they're pushing at her hospital
I've actually been talking a vitamin c plus zinc supplement.
*Tinfoil hat time.
I also purchased some kratom because apparently it has alkaloids that act similarly to chloroquine....
I wear 2 masks, an N95 and a cloth bandana type mask over it. The outer mask covers my whole face up to my eyes and makes me more aware of not touching my face. Both get sterilized to the best of my ability when I get home, although I don't leave the house most days.
No Vitamin C is complete garbage.
You definitley should not take up to 8 - 10 grams spread out throughout the day in divided doses.
It definitley wont lower you're cortisol and make you feel less stressed...
Or help you're body remove toxins and bacteria...
Ok, that was sarcasm. Yes vitamin C should help you quite a lot.
Vitamin C supplementation will prevent you from getting Scurvy.
It does not affect your cortisol level, your adrenal glands can handle that. (Low cortisol levels are actually a worse problem than high cortisol levels, especially when you have an infection)
It does not "help your body remove toxins and bacteria." (COVID-19 is neither a toxin nor a bacterium, it is a virus)
There is likely no harm in taking even megadoses of Vit C, but it is disingenuous to say it will "help you a lot."
-MGoFoam, M.D.
Hey now-- the best way to pee out large amounts of Vitamin C is to consume large amounts of it. I learned that the hard way.
Never knew you could get a doctorate in beer...
Don't want this to sound like I'm minimizing things, but one critical thing to try to let go of the fear piece. Stress drives down your immune system, which I'm sure you don't want right now. Stay vigilant, protect yourself, but try to release the fear part of the equation if you can. Being afraid won't protect you or change things, but it could cause you to do things that can weaken your immune system.
This thing is scary, I get it. That said, chances are a good percentage of us will have this thing at some point even with shelter in place and other measures. Many of us will have no/mild symptoms or mild cases. And even for at risk folks, it's not an immediate death sentence. Hell a 102 year old lady recovered in Italy. Again, it's very serious and you don't want to get sick during the peak, for sure, as resource scarcity can put you at bigger risk. Protect yourself as best you can. Do whatever you can to take care of yourself physically and mentally in the meantime.
A doctor at the NYC hospital basically said as long as you dont touch your mouth, nose, or eyes it is hard to pick up the virus if you come in contact with it.
Just wash your hands and don't touch your face.
If that's true, there is some extremely differing opinions on the "news" about how you can contact it. I read where its like spraying an aerosole can in the air. Imagine if you're waiting for a bathroom, and someone takes a shit and sprays the can in the air after they are finished to mask the smell. Then when you go in--and if you can still smell the spray, then you are getting the particles in your nostrils. Same with coronavirus...you were never in contact with the person, but the lingering particles can get you. But if you are outside and someone sprays it, you never smell it because the particles dissapate. Whatever it is, it would be nice if there were some "truths" about it.
In addition to contact, COVID-19 is an airborne pathogen which is why the six foot distance between people has been put in place and why the powers that be are contemplating telling people to wear masks when out in public.
The two advantages of wearing a non-N95 surgical mask are 1) if you are COVID-19 infected, it may reduce the chance of spreading it to someone else by automatically covering coughs and sneezes, and 2) it will help prevent you from touching your own face and mouth.
I don't know of you know this about me but I watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
Looks like the Rona isn't slowing down the crack industry
Despite how media makes you feel, the odds are still against you getting the virus. We're a state of 10 million people with 11000 cases, so one person in a thousand has it. And (for hopefully obvious reasons) those who get it tend to be in clusters. If you're avoiding people who take high risks, your odds get even better.
You don't note your field, so general tips, ignoring the stuff you mentioned above ... take a can of wipes with you, wipe down keyboards especially, but anything people touch (doorknobs) regularly before (and after) you touch them. Don't use wipes more than a couple minutes (obviously).
Plan your movements, don't willy-nilly run off and grab a print job - take care of your print job, your bathroom, your coffee, etc. all at once, so you can stay local to your work station. If you're retail, ignore this part - but if you're retail, hopefully your store will have posted lots of tips.
Good luck, stay safe.
Way more than one in a thousand people have it, at least in SE Michigan. Testing is still extremely limited and now it looks like 1/3 are giving false negative results.
What precisely is "way" more? 10 more? 10k more?
When lacking any reliable data, I go with the most precise #'s I can find. How many have had it and recovered with few to no symptoms? No way to know, so maybe you're wrong? (you're not, I'm trying to make a point).
Yes, obviously the #s aren't precise, but seriously Hatter, does your comment help anyone in any meaningful way?
The OP is looking for some assurance that walking into work is less dangerous than say, playing that one good-hearted rating in every submarine movie who has to drown to save the flooding ship.
Don't touch your face, don't lick any toilet seats, and guess what, your odds improve drastically.
Soap and water is better than sanitizer so whenever you have a sink nearby use that. Instead of vitamin C or some other BS, I'd pick something wild and crazy to use as a placebo effect like shouting obscenities.
If you’re donning gloves, make sure that you’re taking them off properly, otherwise what’s the point, right?
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/ppe-training/n95respirator_coveralls/doffing_06.html
Best of health and luck to you and your family!
Clean your cell phone regularly. If you use a work phone and computer keyboard clean them regularly. You can use wipes or a slightly damp microfiber towel with soap on the corner to do this. Your cell phone is something that you are putting right next to your mouth regularly that has a high potential to be contaminated. I have even heard that some medical personnel are using plastic ziploc bags to hold their cell phones while at work so they do not contaminate them.
You can greatly reduce your chances of getting the virus by taking basic precautions. Obviously you cannot eliminate all possible risks, especially with so many asymptomatic people carrying the virus, but you can protect yourself and your co-workers through exceptional personal hygiene. It is ok to be fearful of the unknown, but remind yourself that the odds are in your favor even with your medical history.
I wish you the best DB and respect you for the honesty and vulnerability you bring to your posting on the board.
I read somewhere that it's important to brush your teeth as well. Poor oral hygiene can help pneumonia and other bacterial infections develop/be more severe, which exacerbates Covid 19 if you do happen to get it. Like washing your hands more, it's pretty low hanging fruit that we all should be doing anyway. If nothing else, maybe your teeth will be a lighter shade of yellow.
Make sure you get new toothbrushes often, brush for a full 2 min, and add a third time per day. And floss.
Not just for your risk, but lowering the chance to bring it home to family my routine: works boots and clothes off in the garage, wipe off anything taking into the house (cell phone/keys/etc) clothes straight in the washing machine and straight to the shower before touching or talking to any family members
This is my plan also
For what it’s worth I’ve also gone to bringing my own bottles of water and skipping the coffee as the coffee pot & water cooler are just added touch points in the office to possibly be exposed...May not be worth it but I too am in the high risk category so eliminating touching as many things as other people do as I possibly can.
Viruses are so small it’s almost inconceivable. There’s absolutely nothing you can do but keep distance and avoid others. Antibiotic ointment is not going to help you with a virus. Anything anyone sells you except a mask is complete bs and just follow a couple rules:
1) assume everyone is infected and keep a distance
2) wash hands very thoroughly and try to not touch face or mucus membranes (eyes, inside nose..etc)
That’s it. All you can do. Anything else is complete bullshit and maybe even predatory. Remember, this is super serious but it’s not the apocalyptic thing everyone seemingly wants it to be. Stay safe. If you do get infected, it’s very difficult to predict your clinical outcome regardless of prior health because this is a totally new pathogen.