Update December 14, 2020
The first rollout of the Pfizer vaccines began shipping the vaccine from its Kalamazoo, Michigan plan Sunday morning, less than 48 hours after the FDA granted emergency use authorization. Federal officials said the shipments are being staggered, arriving at 145 distribution centers across the country Monday, 425 on Tuesday and the remaining 66 on Wednesday.
Beating The Coronavirus Panademic
We just want to reach out to all our friends and readers out there dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and offer words of encouragement. Using common sense, kindness and no panicking will get us through this faster with a minimum amount of casualties. Covid-19 is unique as it is extremely contagious more so than SARS, H1N1 or MERS. It seems these pandemics are running on a six-year cycle, so that is something we should keep in mind for the future.
Washing Your Hands
We have all read and have been informed repeatedly the importance of washing your hands with soap, this is so important. You might not be aware of this but the coronavirus even in its microscopic nature has a thin coating of fat which is a protective barrier, so using soap is so important to break away that barrier and eliminate the virus from the skin. We know 20 seconds of washing is the rule of thumb but what is not mentioned is that the fingertips and nails should be washed thoroughly, the finger and thumb tips do most of the grabbing so spend a few extra seconds washing them in addition to the palms and back of hands up to the wrists.
MEN
I remember back in 2003 with the SARS pandemic we had the task of keeping the local police department healthy, the main thing we had each police officer concentrate on was not touching your face, it is not as easy as we think as some studies say we touch our face 23 times per hour. So I had them repeat and remember the word MEN, this was an acronym for Mouth, Eyes and Nose. We need to avoid touching these areas of the face until your hands are washed or sanitized. I was a hard habit to break but they did it. Since the coronavirus is even more contagious we need to be vigilant in refraining from touching our face.
When we go out shopping for food, common sense tells else if someone is coughing we need to go in the other direction to protect ourselves, so we must be aware of your surroundings at all times, doing so will offer us better protection. When we are shopping we are touching so many things including money, doors, so it is important we sanitize our hands as soon as we can upon leaving the store this includes your car keys and phone if it was used, remember do not touch your face until you sanitize your hands.
Hand Sanitizer
Speaking of hand sanitizer, it might be difficult to find in your area since many people are hoarding it, if that is the case you can make your own, there are some good tips and recipes on the World Health Organization website. Studies have shown that the final alcohol content should be in the 62% to 71% range when finished in order to be effective. As an example, in California they changed the laws so you cannot produce or sell any distilled ethanol alcohol that is greater than 60% 120 proof alcohol, supposedly you can produce a whiskey variety that is higher than 60% but I have not come across it. I had to go to Mexico to purchase 192 proof which is 96% alcohol made with sugar cane, while one could use Isopropyl Alcohol I personally do not like using it and prefer distilled alcohol without additives. I use 2 ounces of Aloe Vera gel 9 ounces of alcohol and a teaspoon of Hydrogen Peroxide, blend it in a blender for a few seconds and bottle it up as fast as you can to avoid evaporation. This is just one of many ways to produce it if the need arises.
It is recommended you wash your fruits and vegetables with a few drops of soap and water or other products designed for this which there are many. Most of us do this already but we need to concentrate on doing a really good job of cleaning. Nutrition is an important facet we need to concentrate on and we will post tips and suggestions on our website.
Conclusion
Lastly, Social Distancing is a term we are hearing almost hourly and it is important, just stay home as much as possible and avoid gatherings of 10 people or more, obviously if you can cut that number down even further that would be better. Help your elderly neighbor or friends when possible, if you need to go shopping ask them if they need something, the mortality rate for the elderly 70 years and up is staggering so the more we can help them the safer they will be. Be Smart, Be Safe!