Today, the headlines are dominated by COVID-19 updates and developments. To recap, the pneumonia-like virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019. A month later, the Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) reported the first case in the country.
Filipinos are advised to observe social distancing while companies mandated telecommuting for workers to mitigate the spread of the virus. As the number of confirmed cases increased, President Rodrigo Duterte officially placed mainland Luzon under enhanced community quarantine to contain the outbreak of this novel coronavirus disease.
As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the nation, it’s more important now than ever to take care of your health and make sure that you have enough funds saved in case of an emergency like this.
Here are some tips to help keep your health in shape and your expenses as low as possible.
- Stay at home
To help flatten the pandemic’s curve and stay safe, it’s best to stay at home and avoid going out. Limiting of person-to-person contact is implemented as a public health measure.
The less possibility of transmission means a lower number of cases. Additionally, it’s one way to prevent our front liners from getting overwhelmed with the increasing number of PUI (persons under investigation) and confirmed cases.
- Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly
COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that gets transmitted when mucus or droplets containing the virus get into one’s body through eyes, nose, or throat. The transmission occurs when you touch your face with unclean hands.
Washing your hands eliminates bacteria and protects yourself against infection. As much as possible, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (the exact time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice). It’s the cheapest, safest, and easiest way to curb the spread of the virus.
This illustration from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows how to wash your hands properly.
