Health Information COVID-19

Vital information from the Royal Brisbane Hospital Regarding COVID-19.

 

Virus Detection:

 

The simplest way to distinguish Coronavirus from a Common Cold is that the COVID-19 infection does not cause a cold nose or cough with cold, but it does create a dry and rough cough.

woman blowing nose tissue sketch

The virus is typically first installed in the throat causing inflammation and a feeling of dryness. This symptom can last between 3 and 4 days.

The virus typically then travels through the moisture present in the airways, goes down to the trachea and installs in the lungs, causing pneumonia that lasts about 5 or 6 days.

Pneumonia manifests with a high fever and difficulty breathing. The Common Cold is not accompanied, but there may be a choking sensation. In this case, the doctor should be called immediately.

Experts suggest doing this simple verification every morning: Breathe in deeply and hold your breath for 10 seconds. If this can be done without coughing, without difficulty, this shows that there is no fibrosis in the lungs, indicating the absence of infection. It is recommended to do this control every morning to help detect infection.

 

Virus Prevention

 

The virus hates heat and dies if it is exposed to temperatures greater than 27°C. Therefore hot drinks such as infusions, broths or simply hot water should be consumed abundantly during the day. These hot liquids kill the virus and are easy to ingest. Avoid drinking ice water or drinks with ice cubes.

Ensure that your mouth and throat are always wet, never DRY. You should drink a sip of water at least every 15 minutes. Even when the virus enters water or other liquids through the mouth, it will get flushed through the oesophagus directly into the stomach where gastric acids destroy the virus. If there is not enough water, the virus can pass into the trachea and from there to the lungs, where it is very dangerous.

The Sun’s UV rays kill the virus and vitamin D is good for you, so if you are able to, go outside and get a healthy and safe amount of sun exposure, to assist with virus prevention.

The Coronavirus has a large size (diameter of 400-500 nanometers) so face masks can stop it, no special face masks are needed in daily life. If an infected person sneezes near us, stay roughly 3- meters away to allow the virus fall to the ground and prevent it from falling on you.

When the virus is on hard surfaces, it survives about 12 hours, therefore when hard surfaces such as doors, appliances, railings, etc. are touched, hands should be washed thoroughly and/or disinfected with alcoholic gel.

The virus can live nested in clothes and tissues between 6 and 12 hours. Common detergents can kill it. 

The transmission of the virus usually occurs by direct infection, touching fabrics, tissues or materials on which the virus is present, therefore washing your hands is essential.

Although the virus survives on our hands for only about 10 minutes, in that time many things can happen such as rubbing the eyes and touching the nose or lips. This allows the virus to enter your throat; therefore you must wash your hands very often and disinfect them.

You can gargle with disinfectant solutions (i.e. Listerine or Hydrogen Peroxide) that eliminate or minimize the amount of virus that can enter the throat. Doing so removes the virus before it goes down to the trachea and then to the lungs.

 

Be sure to disinfect things touched often