- Boston Senior Medicine
COVID-19: Fast Facts & Hand Hygiene
With the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on everyone’s minds, we'd like to highlight a few facts:
You're more likely to get the Flu. In Massachusetts, as of this morning, there was 1 confirmed case and 28 likely cases of COVID-19, but over 30,000 cases of the Flu. Symptoms are similar- Fever, Respiratory Difficulties, Muscle Aches, Fatigue. Ask all friends and family to visit another time if they are feeling unwell. We'll do the same.
Masks are only helpful if you already have COVID-19. And in that case, call your provider and stay home instead of going out and about. Though COVID-19 is transmitted by respiratory droplets (through a cough or sneeze into the air), transmission usually occurs when someone touches a contaminated surface, then their eyes, nose, or mouth. Good hand hygiene goes a long way (see tips below).
COVID-19 has an 80% recovery rate. This isn’t something the media has said often, but most people do recover from the virus. Persons with the highest risk of death or other complications are not only elderly, but may also have respiratory or immune disease.
If your Senior Loved One has a fever or feels ill, we're here to treat. Call us with any non-immediately life threatening concerns. Our patients are at the highest risk of complications from both Influenza and the Coronavirus and are our highest priority. Acting quickly is the best course of action and improves overall recovery odds.
Hand Hygiene Tips:
Cough or sneeze into your elbow. If you use a tissue, use it once, toss it, then immediately wash your hands or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
Alcohol based hand sanitizers are effective up to 3 uses in succession- after that, wash hands at a sink.
When washing, use warm, soapy water for 20 seconds, then rinse. Also use a paper towel to turn the faucet off.
Sing the happy birthday song twice to time yourself 20 seconds. If you have more time, the Jeopardy song is 30 seconds long.
More Information For more Massachusetts state related information on COVID-19 click here.
Since this post isn’t comprehensive and new information becomes available daily, visit the Center for Disease Control’s website for the most up to date information on COVID-19.