IT’S still spreading. But the numbers are falling. Yes, Covid-19 is still here. Like a dark cloud threatening to cause havoc on all our plans, it still looms large. But I’m going to go with the hopeful scientific minds that the summer months may slow the spread of the virus.
Most known respiratory pathogens thrive in the winter months because droplets stay afloat longer when the air is cold and dry but drop to the ground when the air is warm and humid. On the ground, transmissibility is still feasible but harder.
So if Covid-19 moves like the influenza virus where transmissibility is through droplets, summer may bring good news. But Covid-19 may also be different. It may also mutate, expand its methods of transmissibility and become more dangerous and deadly. That’s the worst-case scenario.
So we prepare for the worst and hope for the best. We don’t let our guard down but we keep our hopes up. And yet, in the midst of this outbreak—something good is actually happening.
People are taking precautions and I don’t mean increasing their stockpile of masks. Some people are actually changing their lifestyles to face Covid-19 head on.
Last week, I spoke to someone who told me that since there is no cure for Covid-19, he is doing all he can to stay healthy. Realizing that boosting his immune system is the only way to save himself from the virus, he has taken concrete steps to build up his immune system.
He stopped smoking and drinking, started sleeping early, switched from soft drinks to water, began to eat fruits and vegetables regularly, and now exercises once a week. Wow.
The reality, however, is that aside from Covid-19, there are many other viruses that we actually need to protect ourselves from, on a daily basis. So the frequent handwashing, the cough etiquette and the mask habit (if you are sneezing and coughing) should continue.
If you are suffering mild symptoms of a viral infection, know that you are still a carrier (hopefully not a super spreader) and can infect others who may end up suffering more severe consequences than you.
If you are sick but absolutely need to go out then don a mask and keep a distance from others. Otherwise, stay home and isolate yourself. Do not go to school. Do not go to work. Do not visit friends. And please, do not attend social events and spread the virus to everyone. It’s not how you feel—it’s how many you may infect and possibly kill.
And if your symptoms escalate, please seek help from a medical professional.
Covid-19 is still here. And it has cast a dark cloud. But every cloud has a silver lining. The threat of a pandemic has sowed fear but it has also made us hyper-aware. Now, we are finally taking serious steps to live healthier.