On Friday, March 13th, the Wall Street Journal published an excellent special report on Navigating the Coronavirus.  Today is Tuesday, March 17th and in just 4 days a number of the articles seem to be irrelevant due to new recommendations to address this highly contagious virus.

Yesterday morning the top article on page one of the WSJ was entitled “How Coronovirus Remade American Life in One Weekend”. Rebecca Davis O’Brien and Valerie Bauerlein write “In a matter of days, the coronavirus pandemic has reshaped American society, unmooring peope from the routines and activites that typically provide comfort in moments of crisis:  work, worship, concerts, sports, gatherings with family and friends, the embrace of loved ones.” This one sentence perfectly describes the current state of affairs in the world.

Keep up with these everchanging specifics on how our lifestyles will need to change-the “new normal” that could be present for many months to come!

Children appear to to be less vulnerable to the coronavirus, but scientists suspect they could play a key role in transmitting the disease. They have the virus in their secretions for up to 22 days so it is vital to prevent them from getting it and spreading it to others.  A WHO report on China concluded that cases of Covid-19 in children were mild and rare. They seem less likely to become infected and if infected they are less likely to develop severe disease.  Trends in South Korea so far look similar. Typically, with the flu and other respiratory viruses, those under the age of 2 are at risk for suffering complications such as pnuemonia or bronchitis.

Families may be unaware their children are contagious. The best ways to limit the spread is to:

=Keep them out of school and away from other people if they are sick

=Clean surfaces often

=Make sure kids are washing their hands

The Do’s and Don’ts of Handwashing

People need to get educated about personal hygiene.  Proper handwashing means scrubbing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds:

=Run water over your hands and then add soap

=Scrub all surfaces-fingertips, between your fingers, the backs of your hands and under your nails

=Rinse all the soap off under running water

=Finally, dry your hands completely

=Use alcohol based sanitizers in a pinch

(WSJ 3/12/20)

Wash your hands with your children, by giving them the step-by-step process listed above. Keeping our hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Explain and model for them the How, When and Why of handwashing. Watch the coronavirus Vietnam hand washing song below and your kids will learn all of the handwashing moves!

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-51764846/coronavirus-vietnam-s-handwashing-song-goes-global

Wash your hands:

Before eating food

Before, during and after preparing food

After using the toilet

After touching garbage

After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing

After changing diapers or cleaning up after a child who has used the toilet

Before and after caring for someone who is sick

Before and after treating a cut or a wound

After touching an animal, animal feed or animal waste

After handling pet food or pet treats

(CDC)

Remember to get outside with your children everyday!