Coronavirus (COVID-19) has now been diagnosed in all 50 states. Everyone’s daily routine must change. Everyone now has a duty to stay safe and help keep friends and family stay safe.
Symptoms
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a new virus called SARS-CoV-2, according to the Washington State Department of Health. The most common symptoms of the disease are fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Most people with COVID-19 will have mild illness but some people will get sicker and may need to be hospitalized.
Most at risk
Those over 60 years of age, those pregnant, and those with chronic medical conditions (heart, lung, and kidney disease, diabetes, cancer and weakened immune system. It has proven true that elders are most at risk of not surviving COVID-19.
For those at a higher risk, it’s important to make contact information easily available to contact your doctor and those who can help you if need be. Request prescriptions for extra medications from your doctor. Stock up on non-perishable foods.
How do I know if I was exposed?
According to the Kitsap Public Health District, you generally need to be in close contact with a sick person to get infected. Close contact includes: Living in the same household as a sick person with COVID-19, caring for a sick person with COVID-19, being within six feet of a sick person with COVID-19 for about 10 minutes, or being in direct contact with secretions from a sick person with COVID-19.
Stay home orders
Stay at home orders refer to important actions to take to minimize the spread of COVID-19, such as maintaining a distance of six feet from other people. Stop shaking hands or hugging. Stop touching your face. Wash your hands often and keep common household surfaces areas and objects cleaned.
Even if you feel fine, you should stay home unless you absolutely must go out. This is a whole new strain of virus and it’s contagious from people before they even get COVID-19 symptoms. This incubation period is from 2 days to 2 weeks.
Since testing for COVID-19 was delayed, there will be many new cases showing up once tests are made more available. This will provide essential information for the scientific world and hopefully lead to a cure. Questions may be answered at the Bremerton call center by dialing 211.
Many closures of public events and spaces and non-essential businesses have been made to help stem the spread of COVID-19. This is going to be the toughest of times for each of us without a regular income. But until a cure comes about, we all must do what is possible to stay safe.
