THE NEED TO STAY SAFE: COVID-19 IN PERSPECTIVE
By Franklin Chukwuemeka Izundu
INTRODUCTION.
The primary interest here
is to educate the general public on the need to stay home. The pandemic
‘’corona virus’’ or ‘’Covid-19’’ is currently ravaging the world, and in order
to curtail its spread the governments of various countries have ordered the
lockdown or all markets, institutions, places of worship and all venues of
social gathering, this also has engendered the an automatic ‘’stay at home’’ as
this will go a long way to hinder to spread of the virus.
The crux of the matter is
that this stay at home of a thing is not easy at all, reason being that it is
already our daily schedule to leave the house in the morning, come back in the
evening, rest and leave again the next morning. Nevertheless, it is pertinent
to bear in mind that prevention is better than cure, an Igbo adage goes thus
‘’okuko na akpa nni na obi onye ochi no nso na ite ofe’’ meaning that the foul
that prefers to eat in the compound of a thief is close to the pot of soup. simply implying that not staying home makes one prone to corona virus.
I believe that the only
reason why people may refuse to stay at home is because they lack sufficient knowledge
about corona virus, it is therefore important to highlight some important fact
about corona virus.
IMPORTANT
FACTS ABOUT CORONA VIRUS
Corona viruses was first
identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. First
identified in the year 1960. They are a large family of viruses that causes respiratory
infections, like common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and
middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS), corona virus can also be transmitted
between animals and people. The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID – 19) is a
respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. It is important to
note the following
·
The virus is large so it does not settle
on air but on surfaces
·
On metal surfaces it lives for 12 hours
·
On fabrics it lives for 9 hours
·
On hands it lives for 2 hours
·
It cannot survive when exposed to a
temperature of 26-27 Degree, with this it is clear that it does not thrive in
hot regions.
It affects all ages and
gender but common in older people, its incubation period is 14-24 days, apart
from the elderly, those with poor immune system and those with chronic diseases
are also at risk. there are some known
symptoms of covid-19 which includes.
·
Fever
·
Cough
·
Shortness of breath
·
Sore throat
·
Fatigue
MODES OF TRANSMISSION
There are
different modes of transmission which includes the direct, and indirect modes
The direct transmission: respiratory
droplets produced when an infected person sneezes or coughs.
The indirect transmission: by touching a
surface contaminated with the virus and then touching the eyes, mouth or nose,
it can also be contracted by touching an infected person’s hands or face or surfaces
they have touched, like door handles, steering, tables, etc.
HOW TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19
·
Avoid
close contact with people who are sick.
·
Avoid
touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
·
Wash
hands with soap and water or alcohol based sanitizer for at least 20 seconds
·
Cook
meat and egg thoroughly
·
Disinfect
regularly touched surfaces
·
Drink
hot water regularly-
·
Maintain
social distance
·
Avoid
handshakes
·
Eat
good food to boost immune system
·
Stay
at home
·
Stay
at home
·
Stay
at home
Conclusion
From the above it
is clear that there is indeed a great need to stay home and also a need for
personal effort, it is vital that we take responsibility and protect ourselves
against this menace, we are in this together and by God’s grace we will come
out of it together. The need for prayer cannot be relegated to the background
as God alone has the final say in every situation.
STAY HOME!
STAY SAFE!
HAPPY EASTER TO YOU ALL!
