“We need to learn from history that the recurrence of coronaviruses is always possible. Seventeen years ago, we had another family of coronavirus named SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) that surfaced and spread beyond borders to cause a global catastrophe. Now we have the novel coronavirus which was first identified in December 2019 ( COVID-19). These viruses are considered pandemic when we see significant and ongoing person-to-person spread in multiple countries across the world.

In the efforts to control these pandemic diseases the key is to let citizens know how to protect themselves. As there’s no medication or vaccine for COVID-19 as of now, we must ensure we follow the community prevention and control measures to prevent spreading the disease to more people. The best way to avoid spread of the virus is by following social distancing by avoiding unnecessary contact with other people.

We must also ensure we keep surfaces around us clean. This includes the regular usage items such as mobile phones, light switches, toilets and sinks. Apart from these, we must also ensure we follow good respiratory and personal hygiene.

There are many myths doing rounds on social media which say COVID-19 is passed through consuming meat and poultry which is not true. We must realise that that no food is actually unsafe, as long as we practice some needed precautions. So, eating non-vegetarian food is perfectly safe. However, we must take some extra precautions and make sure any meat is washed and cooked thoroughly at a high temperature. Good hygienic practices must also be followed before consuming fruits and vegetables. It’s suggested to maintain high protein diet regime as it helps in building the body immunity to tackle these viruses. One must also avoid oily and greasy foods and drink adequate water to stay hydrated.

Given the stages of transmission, India is in the second stage of local transmission. This is the stage where the cases reported are those people who have come in contact with people who have travel history. The central and state governments are already taking proactive steps in the best possible way. We must all realise that we should avoid entering the third stage, which is community transmission, as there is no way that the virus can be traced back to a certain person. We doctors are working relentlessly 24/7 inorder to ensure everyone’s safety. Now it’s time that people help us by staying self quarantined so that this situation can be controlled together as a collective, responsible whole.”

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