If you are wondering how you can protect yourself and the ones you love better, it is well known that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Given that we still do not have a cure or a vaccine for this disease, at the present time, when it comes to dealing with COVID-19, our main weapons of defense are BEHAVIOR CHANGES.
In this article I will begin to examine what can be done to decrease the risk of infection, to prevent infection, to survive infection if it is acquired, and to prevent the infection of others (contagion). This medical issues pertain to Psychiatry as they are aspects of the so-called “Medicine of Conduct”–also known as good hygiene measures and leading a healthy life style.
You have heard it over and over again. Wear face coverings, wash hands frequently, use sanitizer often, and stay at least 6 feet away from people. If you are a worker handling food or items, wear latex gloves and douse often with sanitizer. Well, in this regard, the main measure to emphasize for your protection is ‘social distancing” in the broader sense of the word: Interact with as few people in person as humanly possible. But, particularly, avoid close physical contact.
Keep in mind that the closest possible contact between human beings is FRENCH KISSING. That behavior carries the highest risk of contagion. Obviously that sexual activity of other kinds could follow this risk very closely. So, in this regard, the virus puts us against the wall, as it goes against our tender and sexual needs. And this behavioral fact is what makes prevention of infection among adolescents and young people to hard to implement.
“Social distancing”means–not just keeping 6 feet away from people–not hugging or shaking hands, but avoiding gatherings, contact sports, or social functions, especially if they take place in an enclosed setting.
In regards to face coverings, there are two issues to keep in mind. The success or failure of the protective method will depend upon them. First of all, most mask are substandard in term of what they can filter. The idea then to make the face coverings strategy much more powerful is:
1) Make your masks with filter insertion capabilities. (You can use ultra fine air filter pieces to make the masks more efficient, or look online for methods of improving your masks effectiveness to filter viruses).
2) If you are in a high risk group, get a N95 mask now that they are widely available and wear it whenever you interact with others or if you come into an enclose space where others are or may have been.
3) Remember that–just as condoms–masks are only effective if they are left on during the entire interaction with others. This last concept is of maximum importance to keep in mind as most cases of prevention failures through the use of masks happen as people take breaks and relax and then they take their masks off. So, in this regard, MASKS SHOULD BE ON FROM BEGINNING TO END OF PERSONAL INTERACTIONS.
Remember, the larger the number of people you interact with, the bigger the risk of infection. This is particularly true in your interaction with children and adolescents that tend not to follow face covering and social distancing recommendations and who have a large number of ASYMPTOMATIC CARRIERS (people that carry high viral loads in their throats but have no symptoms of illness).
Remember that more than 40 percent of people have shown to be asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19. So the fact that someone is NOT ILL is not a reassurance that the individual may not be a virus carrier and therefore and infective agent.
This brings us to the low utility of taking temperatures to people to rule out carriers, as there will be 40 percent of people infected with normal temperatures. Finally, if you feel ill, sick to your stomach, if you have a dry cough, frequent sneezing (and you know you are not allergic); or if you run a fever, feel very low in energy, experience strong generalized aches and pains–and if you suddenly lose the sense of taste or smell–you should consider the possibility that you may be infected, and you should go for testing as soon as possible while wearing a mask all the time and isolating yourself from other household members.
The question of how to adapt to the relational difficulties pose by this pandemic remains open. There are no easy or foolproof answers. And all of them go against what we as human tend to do naturally. So, what are you doing in this regard? What are your psychological or physical obstacles to implement these strategies? What alternatives have you found or would you suggest to help people cope better in these circumstances?
Remember that these are only temporary measures. Next year after the mass campaigns of vaccination have taken place, very gradually, we will be able to resume normal life and behaviors.
In the next article I will continue looking into other behavioral changes that will help you go through this pandemic with less risk or illness and death for you and your loved ones.
Some people, as we know have been reluctant to wear masks in spite of overwhelming evidence that face coverings help decrease the spread of COVID-19. The motives for them doing so are multiple. Some people feel very uncomfortable with masks on. This is particularly true for those who suffer from Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, and Claustrophobia.
Some people, refuse to wear masks as they believe by not doing it that they are making a political statement of support to President Trump. Others do not wear them as they believe masks are useless. And yet, many others have been misled from the beginning by our federal government into thinking that masks were useless.
As is it well known, “Common sense is the least common of the senses”. Lack of knowledge and proper education regarding hygienic measures to prevent infection represents a large number of people not wearing them. Finally, the sense of indestructibility found in some individuals, especially the young is a strong factor to dismiss its use.
Wearing masks is NOT EASY FOR ANYBODY. IT requires a constant effort and good memory to do it and do it consistently. WE ALL need to continue doing it for the time being and attempt to educate others as to the importance of doing it without imposing on them.
Thank you for your very interesting question
Great info. We could end this pandenia sooner if we all follow these guidelines. Doctor T, what can you tell about those folks that refuse to wear masks? What is in their minds? Do they lack common sense?