By Anita Miller
“Wash your hands like you’ve been chopping jalapeños and need to change your contact lenses,” goes a meme circulating on Facebook concerning tips to avoid catching the newest round of Coronavirus.
Authorities say there’s been no confirmed case of COVID 19 in Hays County. However, in an advisory issued Thursday, Epidemiologist Eric Schneider said that a “few individuals who believe they may have been exposed to a confirmed case are in self-quarantine and are being monitored as a precaution to protect our community.”
Officials at the County Health Department have established a “monitoring protocol” that will be explained to individuals if they have symptoms indicative of the virus, which was first detected in China last year and has led to tens of thousands of cases and thousands of deaths around the globe, including 10 in the U.S.
Schneider, who told the Hays Free Press last week that he is in constant touch with the Centers for Disease control, noted that good health practices for keeping the virus at bay are similar to ones people use to avoid catching the flu — but stressed that the two are very different diseases.
Symptoms of COVID 19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath that can show up as soon as two days after exposure, but can also not show up for up to two weeks. Flu symptoms not associated with COVID 19 include headache, chills, body ache, sore throat, fatigue, stuff nose and/or sneezing.
Much of Thursday’s advisory reiterated what Schneider had previously advised for local residents, including washing hands frequently, for at least 20 second including between fingers and under fingernails. “Handwashing is considered the best way to remove germs and dirt, and hand sanitizers should be used only when handwashing is not available,” the advisory said. “The hand sanitizers should be at least 60 percent alcohol to be effective.”
Additionally:
- Avoid handshaking and high-fives
- Avoid touching your face, especially eyes, nose and mouth.
- Stay home when you feel sick.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a disposable tissue, and then throw it away. Alternately, use the crook of your elbow if a tissue is not available.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household disinfectant cleaning spray or wipe. Clean cell and desk phones, computer keyboards, door handles, and work surfaces often.
- Face masks are not considered an effective way to prevent someone from catching a virus unless you have close, frequent contact with a sick person; however, they are an option for sick people to use to keep from spreading the virus
- Avoid travel to areas that have been designated high-risk areas because of multiple verified cases of Corona
Anyone concerned they may have been exposed is urged to contact the county Public Health Department at 512-393-55254 to discuss exposure risk.
Coronaviruses are not new – some are responsible for common colds and some for more serious infections like SARS – but this particular strain of it is new which is why it is often referred to as Novel Coronavirus.
Schneider said while he is “anticipating cases to eventually show up in Hays County,” the first line of defense against an outbreak or community spreading is to follow the good health practices whether you are healthy or feeling sick." Schneider also recommended that residents rely on qualified information sources for additional information, such as the Centers for Disease Control at cdc.gov and the Texas Department of State Health Services at dshs.texas.gov.
