COVID 19 Pandemic
Latest COVID 19 Health Alert Updates from Australia Department of Health: https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert
The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
Coronaviruses can make humans and animals sick. Some coronaviruses can cause illness similar to the common cold and others can cause more serious diseases, including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). This new coronavirus originated in Hubei Province, China and the disease outbreak is named COVID-19.
The coronavirus is most likely to spread from person-to-person through:
• direct close contact with a person while they are infectious
• close contact with a person with a confirmed infection who coughs or sneezes, or
• touching objects or surfaces (such as door handles or tables) contaminated from a cough or sneeze from a person with a confirmed infection, and then touching your mouth or face.
Most infections are only transmitted by people when they have symptoms. These can include fever, a cough, sore throat, tiredness and shortness of breath.
Practising good hand and sneeze/cough hygiene is the best defence against most viruses. You should:
• wash your hands frequently with soap and water, before and after eating, and after going to the toilet
• cover your cough and sneeze, dispose of tissues, and use alcohol-based hand sanitiser
• and if unwell, avoid contact with others (stay more than 1.5 metres from people).
Useful Information
Basic protective measures against the new coronavirus
Wash your hands frequently Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.
How to put on, use, take off and dispose of a mask
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Before putting on a mask, clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
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Cover mouth and nose with mask and make sure there are no gaps between your face and the mask.
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Avoid touching the mask while using it; if you do, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
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Replace the mask with a new one as soon as it is damp and do not re-use single-use masks.
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To remove the mask: remove it from behind (do not touch the front of mask); discard immediately in a closed bin; clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
For more information you can visit:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) – what you need to know by Australia Department of Health
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Updates By World Health Organisation
Australian Government Department of Health Coronavirus Health Information Line
Tel: 1800 020 080
Call this line if you are seeking information on novel coronavirus. The line operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Australian Government Department of Health healthdirect hotline:
Tel: 1800 022 222 | https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/
Call this number to speak to a registered nurse about your health concerns. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Information above are from Australia Department of Health and World Health Organisation.
