Spreading the good news about COVID-19…

As spreaders of the good news, we’ve been digging deep this week to try and find some good news around the coronavirus, which has now been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

According to media reports the WHO had delayed this announcement to avoid public panic.
As of Wednesday, nearly 120,000 cases and more than 4200 deaths had been reported worldwide, in more than 120 countries. According to WHO, the fatality rate for the disease is 3.4%.
These are worrying times and the situation is changing hour by hour, day by day.

There is fear and when there is fear, there is panic. Panic buying is still happening and probably won’t go away anytime soon. In the meantime, local authorities and governments scramble to put systems and procedures in place to cope with an increase in cases and help to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

So, is there any good news to report? Here’s what we’ve found:

A Cuban news article declared that we are facing a serious health issue, as well as a pandemic of panic. However, they also insisted that not all the news is bad, and listed 10 good news items about coronavirus, including:
1.  We know what it is.
2.  We know how to detect it.
3.  Most cases are mild.
4.  Most people get well again.
5.  Only 3% of cases occur in children under 20.
6.  The situation in China (where it began) is improving every day. Due to strong control and isolation measures the number of diagnosed cases has been declining for weeks now.
7.  The virus is easily inactivated in just one minute by cleaning surfaces with a solution of ethanol (62-71% alcohol), hydrogen peroxide (0.5% hydrogen peroxide) or sodium hypochlorite (0.1% bleach).
8. Washing your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub kills the virus in one minute – this is good news folks. You don’t need a million rolls of toilet paper… you just need to wash your hands.

Toilet paper jokes aside, washing hands is very important and it’s the one thing we have been talking about at home. Hand washing is being seen as super important on the frontline (which is pretty much everywhere now), as it is THE best way to stop the spread of any virus in your home, your school, at work and in the wider community.

It is also true that hand washing has become cool again. I laughed out loud when watching ABC’s The Drum discussing a TikTok video about hand washing which has literally gone, well… viral!

The case in point is Vietnamese dancer im.quangdang, who has created a clever hand-washing dance, to a very catchy tune, to combat the spread of coronavirus. Over on Instagram is has been viewed 92,599 times and on TikTok the video has amassed more than 200,000 reactions and we’re hoping it will catch on… literally!

Watch the full clip here.

Everyone’s favourite doctor of science, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki of Triple J radio recommends that to wash your hands properly you need to spend 2-3 mins to thoroughly get the job done. This sounds like the perfect opportunity to slow down for some mindful breathing or a mini meditation.

The New York Times has also shared a list of positive actions to combat the virus, including:
1. Keep your hands clean, and keep your distance from sick people
2. Stay home if you are sick
3. Unless you are already infected, face masks won’t help.

This is important, as there are many people in the health sector who ‘actually’ need masks… so don’t buy them if you don’t need them.
The publication also reminder its readers that the average fit and healthy person who falls ill from COVID-19 might suffer a dry cough, fatigue and fever and feel unwell for a week or two, before recovering fully.

This folks, is good news and what we should be focusing on.

In other good news the WHO has also encouraged us to not kiss, hug or shake hands when we greet people, which is music to the ears for those in the community who dislike any physical contact when greeting. Now you can safely keep you distance without feeling rude. The WHO recommends for now we wave, bow or nod.

We’d love to hear of any good news out there in the community about COVID-19. I have seen photos on Instagram of people giving out free toilet paper, which is a refreshing change from watching others literally punching each other for the last packet on the supermarket shelf.

Good information is also important and you need to ensure you using the most up-to-date and legitimate source, which is probably not social media. Government and health departments are a great source, as well as the WHO, which has loads of information on its website about COVID-19 – this one was my favourite:

• Be Supportive
• Be Careful
• Be Alert
• Be Kind

Let’s focus on the things we can control and work together in these uncertain times – try not to panic, wash your hands and help each other out. Staying calm is hard to do, but it’s about all we can do right now as we let this virus run its course.

Stay well,

Christy xo

#speadingthegoodstuff

Images thanks to Instagram