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With the imminent danger of the third wave in India due to the Omicron variant, there is an increased importance of practising COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. Implementation of steps related to COVID-19 protocol, along with contact tracing and increased testing, are found to be effective in managing the pandemic.
Covid-19 Appropriate Protocol
People at all times should follow the COVID-19 appropriate protocols. Some of them are:
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Maintain Social Distancing
People should take all safety measures to minimize physical contact and maintain a distance of at least 6 feet to prevent the spread. Avoid physical greetings, such as shaking hands, and instead, greet from a distance. People should lower the number of visitors to their homes and avoid social gatherings. Stay in the house for most of the time and step out only when necessary.
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Wear a mask even in the house
The symptoms of COVID-19 take some time to appear. During this period, the infected person unknowingly becomes a carrier. Wear a mask while going out and even at home. People must wear masks when they are with other people in the room. Wearing the mask is essential if the person has signs of cold, cough, or flu. It will help in reducing the transmission of infection. It is necessary to practice COVID-19 appropriate behaviour even at home to prevent disease transmission to family members, especially to the children and elderly.
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Frequently wash your hands
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser, especially before wearing and after removing the mask. Washing hands will remove or kill the germs present in your hands.
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Avoid touching the eye or nose
Avoid touching your nose and eyes frequently. The person may have touched several surfaces that might have germs. Touching the nose or eyes with contaminated hands may allow the germs to enter the respiratory system and make people sick.
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Maintain respiratory hygiene
People must always maintain respiratory hygiene. While coughing, they must use a handkerchief or tissue paper. If these are not available, they should cough or sneeze into the bent elbow. It is necessary to wash hands after coughing or sneezing.
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Avoid spitting in public
Spitting in public increases the risk of spreading the COVID-19 pandemic. It increases the risk of life to others. Spitting in public is also a punishable offence under the law.
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Get Vaccinated
Currently, vaccination is the only way to prevent transmission and reduce the severity of the disease in case of infection. It also helps in limiting the spreading of the virus. Eligible people should get vaccinated.
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Cleaning the frequently touched surfaces
Frequently touched surfaces may have viruses that increase the risk of transmission. It is necessary to clean the frequently touched surfaces at hospitals, public places, and even at home.
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Other steps
Other steps are to be followed for effective management of the pandemic. Avoid forwarding any COVID–19–related unverified information that may create a sense of anxiety and stress in public. Seek help during poor psychological health and call national helpline numbers for any COVID-19-related queries.
Importance of COVID-19 Appropriate Protocol
Some of the advantages of following the COVID-19 appropriate protocol are:
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Prevents transmission
The most critical step to managing any pandemic is to slow down its spread. The Omicron variant is believed to be highly contagious and fast-spreading. People must follow the COVID-19 protocol stricter than before.
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Early containment of the disease
The severity of the pandemic is generally evaluated through reproductive numbers and positivity rate. The reproductive number is the number of people infected by each patient. The positivity rate is the number of people tested positive from every 100 people getting tested. Following the COVID-19 protocol decreased these numbers indicating better management of the pandemic.
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Safeguard the children and adults
Children and the elderly are at high risk for contracting COVID-19 with increased severity. Children are not vaccinated. Adults have compromised immune systems, along with other underlying diseases. It is necessary to maintain COVID-19 behaviour at home.
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Reduced social stress
Social isolation affects physical and psychological health, as seen in earlier COVID-19 waves. Controlling the new wave at an early stage, through appropriate COVID-19 behaviour, will reduce social stress.
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Decreased financial stress
The severity of the COVID-19 wave is directly proportional to widespread financial stress. The number of days of lockdown varies with the transmission of infection, positivity rate, and the number of people infected at a given point. A lockdown may result in shutting businesses and job losses.
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