Safety and Preventive Measures during the Covid-19 Pandemic
                     Safety and Preventive 
Measures during the 
Covid-19 Pandemic
Introductio
n
The healthcare system of the whole world seems 
to collapse because of the highly contagious 
SARS-CoV-2. Unfortunately, there is no treatment 
of the disease and vaccines are under 
development. In such a scenario, to follow the 
preventive measures to reduce the spread of 
infection looks prudent. There are various ways to 
stay away from the risk of exposure. These include 
isolation and quarantine, Personal Protective 
Equipments, social distancing, sanitization, and 
hand hygiene.
COVID-19: Highly 
Contagious Disease
COVID-19 pandemic has shattered the 
healthcare system, economy, and 
health of the people throughout the 
world. The initial cases of COVID-19 
infection came in late 2019. In 
January 2020, the World Health 
Organization declared the disease as 
a health emergency of international 
concern. In March 2020, COVID-19 
was declared a pandemic by the 
World Health Organization. In 
February 2020, the International 
Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses 
named the disease as SARS-CoV-2.
Studies have indicated that 
the virus has 79.5% 
similarity with SARS-CoV 
while its similarity to bat 
coronavirus is 96.2%. 
However, its highly 
contagious nature and the 
significant ability for human 
to human transmission is 
because of the high affinity 
of its spike glycoprotein 
towards ACE2 receptors as 
compared to SARS-CoV. 
Fortunately, the mortality 
rate of SARS-CoV-2 is less 
(3.4%) as compared to 
MERS (35%) and SARS 
(9.6%).
The infection is highly 
contagious and spread 
through person-to-person 
transmission. The infected 
person when sneezes or 
coughs, it results in the 
formation of liquid droplets 
containing the virus. 
Depending upon the distance 
of another person, these 
droplets either stick on to 
mouth or nose or maybe 
inhaled directly into the 
lungs. The spread may also 
occur when the person 
touches the places infected 
with the virus. The virus may 
also enter through 
contaminated aerosols and 
fomites.
Measures for Safety 
and Prevention of 
COVID -19
Currently, there is no proven 
effective treatment for 
COVID-19. Various 
pharmaceutical companies 
have directed their resources 
to come up with the 
treatment for this pandemic. 
Till the time the medicine 
gets available, it is important 
to implement safety and 
protective measures to 
prevent transmission of this 
infection. Screening may help 
in reducing the number of 
cases. Following are some of 
the 
safety and protective measure
s for COVID-19
:
 Hand hygiene: One of the most 
effective measures for 
contracting and preventing the 
spread of COVID-19 is enhanced 
hand hygiene. However, washing 
hands properly is also an art. 
Some people wash their hands 
without water while some use 
soap but wash hands for a few 
seconds.
  Sanitizing surroundings: The 
surroundings should be sanitized 
effectively and frequently. Lift, 
railings, and doorknobs have the 
potential to spread infections if 
they have been used by a COVID-
19 patient. 
 Social distancing:  Social distancing is an 
effective way to reduce the risk of 
transmission of infection. The droplets 
from the infectious person travel to some 
distance when the person talks, coughs, 
or sneezes. 
 Avoid gatherings: People should avoid 
visiting the crowded areas as these areas 
are the hotspot for high transmission of 
disease. These include going to malls, 
theatres, or any public or private 
functions.
 Personal protective 
equipment: Personal protective 
equipment, if worn properly, is 
an effective tool in controlling 
the transmission of COVID-19. 
People should wear masks 
properly according to the WHO, 
as the improper wearing of 
masks increases the risk of 
infection. 
 Workplace measures: Effective 
measures should be 
implemented at the workplace to 
reduce transmission of COVID-
19 infection. Social distancing 
should always be maintained, 
and employees should be advised 
to wear the mask. 
 Measures at hospitals for 
non-COVID patients: Proper 
safety measures should be 
implemented at hospitals for the 
patients who visit for getting 
treatment of the diseases other 
than COVID-19. All the areas and 
surfaces should be regularly 
sanitized, and the number of 
people at a time should be 
limited.
 Stay at home: Staying home is 
the best method to avoid any risk 
of infection. You must go outside 
of your house only when it is 
necessary. Wear mask before 
going out and wash your hand 
and sanitize them properly after 
returning.
 Avoid unnecessary 
touching: Avoid unnecessary 
touching of objects and surfaces 
at public places. These include 
railings, lift buttons, counter 
surfaces, and doorknobs. 
 Isolation and 
Quarantine: Isolation of the 
confirmed and suspected COVID-
19 patients is an effective 
method to control community 
spread of infection. 
 Upgrading testing 
capacity: Increase in the testing 
capacity will help in isolating the 
confirmed cases of COVID-19. 
REFERENCE
Güner R, Hasanoğlu I, Aktaş F. 
COVID-19: Prevention and 
control measures in the 
community. Turk J Med Sci. 
2020;50(SI-1):571-577. 
Published 2020 Apr 21. 
doi:10.3906/sag-2004-146