Writing about
the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), or any new health risk for that matter,
involves a delicate balance; on the one hand, you don’t want to cause
unnecessary anxiety or fear and, on the other hand, you want to share the
facts, even when they are unpleasant.

So, even after
dozens of women emailed me about the coronavirus, I hesitated to share my
thoughts. After all, I’m not a medical professional. Like you, I am just an
older woman trying her best to keep herself and her family healthy.

But, the more
I thought about it, the more I realized that I had a responsibility to help get
the word out about the simple steps that we can take to protect ourselves. Over
the next few weeks, I will be producing a series of articles and videos to help
the women in our community. And, today, I’d like to start with the basics – what
can we do to protect ourselves from the Coronavirus as older adults.

What is the Novel Coronavirus and Who is Most at Risk?

According to
the World Health Organization (WHO), “Coronaviruses (CoV)
are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold
to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a
new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.”

Much is still
unknown about the novel coronavirus, but, the picture that is emerging is of a
virus that has a mortality rate several times higher than the common flu. In
addition, because many contagious people experience only mild symptoms, it is
proving difficult to contain, even in developed countries like the United
States.

So far, it seems that people over the age of 65, particularly those with underlying health conditions are at an increased risk for complications from the novel coronavirus and many countries around the world are encouraging us to be especially careful in the weeks and months ahead.

If all this
leaves you feeling a little powerless, or even anxious, you’re not alone.
People are not particularly good at dealing with unknown risks and the novel
coronavirus is no exception. But, the good news is that there are simple things
that each of us can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Here are a few
ideas from around the world.

Wash Your Hands the Right Way to Fight Back Against the
Coronavirus

The first recommendation that almost every government around the world is making is to wash your hands regularly with plenty of soap and warm water. This sounds simple, but, many of us aren’t washing our hands for nearly long enough.

Did you know
that many health organizations, including the CDC in the United States,
recommend washing your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds? To put this in
perspective, here are a few songs that you can sing in 20 seconds.

I Will Survive, by Gloria Gaynor

Happy Birthday

Staying Alive, by the Bee Gees

I Can Feel it Coming in the Air Tonight, by Phil Colins

Fever, by Peggie Lee

Personally, I
love to sing I Will Survive, but, when I’m with my 3-year-old grandson, Max, I
switch to Happy Birthday. It always makes us giggle.

Keep Your Distance in Social Situations 

Recently, the
CDC in the U.S. updated its coronavirus recommendations to say that older
adults should “stay at home as much as possible.” But, what if you need to get
out into the world, perhaps to go shopping for groceries or to pick up your
medications?

The best
advice that I have seen is to practice keeping your distance from others. This
could include avoiding close physical contact, like giving a friend that you meet
on the street a hug. Or, it could involve standing farther away from the other
people in the line at the supermarket.

At the end of
the day, if you have a support network, now is probably a good time to ask for
some help with your daily tasks so that you can stay at home. But, if you do
need to go out, a little “social distancing” will go a long way to reducing
your coronavirus risk.

Stock up on a Few Essentials – Food, Medication and
Household Items

By now, you have probably seen pictures on Facebook and Twitter of long lines at grocery stores and supermarkets. And, it is true that some people are going a bit over the top – no-one really needs 500 tins of baked beans and enough toilet paper to service a small army camp.

But, this
doesn’t mean that stocking up on a few essentials – including food, medications
and household items is irrational. In fact, the CDC recommends that each of us
have basic supplies on hand.

Given the fact
that supermarkets across the U.S. are likely to be busier than usual for the
next few weeks, this would be a good time to ask someone in your family to add
a few items onto their shopping list for you. This way, you can stay safe at
home, while getting the things that you need.

When I went to
the supermarket last week, I bought a 2-week supply of food, hygiene products,
soap, toilet paper, bottled water, batteries, ibuprofen and other basics. I
also asked my doctor for a refill on my medications. 

Of course,
this is a fast-moving situation and I highly encourage you to check out the
official recommendations from your government. Here are a few important links:

CDC’s
Recommendations for People at Higher Risk for Coronavirus Complications

World
Health Organization Coronavirus Information and Guidance

Now that I’ve
provided a round-up of what most governments around the world are recommending,
I wanted to add a couple of quick thoughts of my own.

Once again, I
am not a medical professional and I am not providing specific medical advice.
But, since these ideas fall into the “it couldn’t hurt and might actually help”
category and I am personally adding them to my toolkit.

Let a Little Sunlight (and Humidity) Into Your House

You probably
know that UV light is a powerful killer of bacteria and viruses. After all,
it’s used in hospitals around the world to clean medical instruments. But, what
about sunlight?

As it turns
out, sunlight is surprisingly effective at killing viruses and bacteria, even
when filtered through a window. According to a
recent study, run by Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease
specialist at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, “The major takeaway
from this study is that even if the sunlight goes through conventional panes of
glass, it retains a substantial capacity to kill bacteria and viruses. We did
not know whether the sunlight passing through panes of glass would retain some
of this capacity to disinfect, and it does. So that’s a great thing.”

So, why am I
personally going out of my way to open my blinds? Two reasons…

First, I want
to do everything in my power to stay out of the doctor’s office. So, if
sunlight can help to clean the surfaces in my house, I’m all for that! Maybe it
will give me a slight edge against the coronavirus… or, maybe it will just
reduce my risk of getting the flu or a common cold.

Second, I
don’t know about you, but, being stuck in my house isn’t great for my mood.
Letting a little sunlight into my house is helping to keep me happy and sane.

When the
warmer weather returns, I’ll probably give my skin a break and start filtering
out some of the light. But, for now, I’m just enjoying a little more radiance
in my life. It probably makes sense to ask your doctor of letting some more sun
into your house makes sense for you.

And, while
we’re on the subject of improving your home environment, did you know that
humidity levels above 40% can help to kill viruses. Specifically, a recent
review of 40
scientific studies found that rooms with relative humidity levels in the
40-60% range have significantly fewer flu viruses floating around and on
surfaces.

So, maybe it’s time to invest in a humidifier. I did and I actually sleep much better!

Practice Good Dental Hygiene

For the most
part, our bodies are efficient at keeping bacteria and viruses out. Our skin is
a veritable fortress and there are only a few places that we are exposed to the
outside world – most importantly our noses and mouths.

So, perhaps it
won’t surprise you that a
recent Yale study found that people who practice poor dental hygiene are at
a higher risk of contracting pneumonia. Now, we obviously don’t know if there
is a connection between dental hygiene and the coronavirus, but, I say, “what
have we got to lose.”

Why not be
extra dutiful with our brushing, flossing and mouthwash?

Finding the Golden Mean and Staying Healthy in the Time of the Novel Coronavirus

The
coronavirus is real. No, it’s not “just like the flu.” And, we really should
take it seriously. This means washing out hands regularly (and properly!),
keeping our distance from others and stocking up to a reasonable degree on
supplies.

At the same
time, we should not succumb to fear or a sense of hopelessness. We may not be
able to control everything related to the coronavirus, but, we can control some
things. And, even simple steps can go a long way to keeping us safe.

I hope that
the resources in this article were useful to you. I highly encourage you to
check the CDC’s website every few days to see if there are any new
recommendations. And, in the meantime, try to spend a bit more time at home,
enjoying a good book or diving into your Netflix recommendations list.

Are you
concerned about the coronavirus? Why or why not? What are you doing to protect
yourself? Let’s have a conversation.