Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on the world. It had lots of people in the world experience struggles and hardships. It made many people lose their jobs, their loved ones, and their mental stability. According to Johns Hopkins University, there are currently 23,507,852 coronavirus cases and 809,834 deaths.

Within the US alone there are more than 5 and a half million cases. Sounds scary, right? You may be wondering right now about how you can protect yourself from Covid. But fear not my friend, this article here is going to tell you how to protect yourself from Covid-19 and your loved ones in simple ways.

How to protect ourselves from Covid-19:

• Wear a mask. You’ve heard this a million times before, but it’s worth hearing about them again. Masks protect you and others from Covid-19. Coronavirus spreads through the air when a person breathes in particles containing the virus produced by an infected person. The infected person could spread the virus by coughing, sneezing, talking, or even breathing. Also, studies show that people can show no symptoms and still have the virus. Sounds like a lot of red flags, right? But all of these dangers can be avoided by wearing a mask. But please do not wear N95 masks as these are the masks that healthcare workers wear and they are in short supply.

• Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds. Soap and water is the best way to clean your hands. But when they are not available use 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizers. You should wash your hands:

  • Before you eat

  • When you prepare food

  • After using the bathroom

  • Being outside in public places and touching door handles, shopping carts, elevator buttons, etc. (Johns Hopkins Medicine)

  • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing

  • After handling your mask

• Social Distance. Practicing social distancing is key to keeping the virus away from us. Maintaining a six feet distance between one another can make the virus less likely to reach you and infect you. Masks aren’t the complete solution to avoiding the virus. Sometimes small droplets of air carrying the virus can break through and infect you as well as others. Social distancing is another wall of protection for you so that even if the virus particles get past a mask, they won’t be able to reach you.

• Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough with a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Throw the tissue away immediately after use as the droplets can spread and go into the air. Also, wash your hands as soon as possible with soap and water or sanitize them with 60% alcohol-based sanitizer.

• Disinfect surfaces regularly. Disinfect surfaces that are commonly touched. Places like doorknobs, tables, light switches, phones, keyboards, handles, etc are hotspots for COVID. But don’t worry if you don’t have disinfectant wipes on hand. You can use diluted house bleach to sanitize the surfaces in your house. Use the bleach as directed by the manufacturer, make sure it’s not expired, and spot test because bleach can stain or corrode some surfaces.