Are they cracked and dry from washing them?
How is your face?
Are you having trouble breathing because of your surgical mask?
Yes, things have gotten a little crazy around here thanks to the coronavirus. It seems like that is all everyone is talking about right now. I guess the biggest surprise is the major changes in the Roman Catholic Church service. No more handshake of peace and no more communal wine.
I am not writing about this to take sides or point fingers. Everyone has to do what they feel is necessary to get through this latest health scare. I myself am not really doing anything differently. Working in a school now has already put me on high alert. I am not worried about corona - I am worried about the next cold, the next sore throat, the stomach bug.
I've already had the flu this year so I kinda feel like I can check that one off the list. Thanks to good old Tamiflu and Christmas break I was able to work through it and get back to normal - but even that took a few weeks.
I do not frequent airports or travel abroad so maybe if I did, I would be more worried. Colleges have cancelled some of their foreign study options and some local high school staff, who have traveled overseas, have been asked to stay home until the virus incubation period is over.
I remember the last time we were on heightened alert about a health issue - the Swine flu back in 2009/2010. I had two kids under 8 so yeah, I was aware of the situation but with a name like swine flu - I kind of tuned out.
Because I read a lot, I have stumbled upon articles detailing the origin of the coronavirus. On the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) webpage it explains: Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in people and many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats.
Here we go again with the animals. From pigs to bats - I'm not really sure what is going on. Can't these guys keep their germs to themselves?
The amazing thing that has come out of this, for me, has been the emphasis on hand washing. There have been infrared pictures of dirty hands posted on social media showing the affects of using hand sanitizer versus hand soap and water. Hand sanitizer is ok but it does not do a complete job. Hand washing on the other hand is pretty amazing. Thirty seconds under a stream of water with plenty of bubbles seems to be the way to go for a germ free existence.
Another interesting fact I now know is that not all hand sanitzers are created equal. Each one has a specific alcohol content and the CDC recommends using one that has 60% alcohol. With the increased concern about the coronavirus, many stores are running out of sanitizer but due to the power of Google, I've learned with three simple ingredients, a common human can make it themselves. By mixing 2/3 cup Isopropyl alcohol 91% (rubbing alcohol), 1/3 cup aloe vera gel, and an essential oil in your choice of fragrance (optional), you can whip up something as good as Purell or Germ X brands.
I am not sure when the corona hype will die down, but at least we are all in this together. Whatever you are doing to keep yourself healthy - go for it. We got to stay strong because it only is a matter of time before a new illness will creep in to steal the thunder from corona. Who knows which animal we will be blaming for the next virus but they better leave the pandas out of it. They are too cute to be making us sick.
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