Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • well, we started this half hour with the new Corona virus help the professionals, pointing to that old Ben Franklin saying, This morning, an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure.

  • So that is the question.

  • How do you protect yourself now that the coronavirus is hitting more places around the country to see Zach?

  • Rakesh is here with a look at your best bets for staying healthy.

  • Good morning to you, Zachary.

  • Have a good morning to you as well.

  • Experts are using the word inevitable when asked whether this virus will spread.

  • That's why prevention has become such an important aspect of the response.

  • Despite the unknowns, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself.

  • With more presumptive cases of Corona virus hitting multiple states overnight, medical experts are now doubling down on preventative measures we all can take to reduce the chance of attracting the cove it 19 disease.

  • It's more important than ever for people to practice good health habits.

  • The virus is thought to spread mainly from person to person, either through close contact, meaning a range of about six feet or through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes?

  • Well, it's unknown how long the virus can't survive on infected surfaces.

  • Officials aren't ruling out the spread if someone then touches their mouth, nose or eyes.

  • So things that people regularly touch tend to be doorknobs, keyboards, phones, hand washing defeats all of that.

  • With the vaccine still months away and millions of Americans heading back to work, the CDC still says the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed with these tips.

  • Wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds.

  • Avoid touching your face.

  • If you feel sick, stay home and commit to regular cleaning at the start of your day.

  • You wanna wipe down keyboard and wipe down your phone so it's clean at the beginning of the day.

  • That's a good good measure to take.

  • Experts say the most important things we can do in preparation are the same things we do for a cold or flu season, and we've shown you how to prevent the spread of illnesses before it work.

  • You can actually see the entire building start getting sick if one person comes in and touches a few of these buttons.

  • These bad boys are nastier than toilet seats and at home all the handles on everything, which usually are hard surfaces.

  • So the metal handles you have little kids lower down.

  • And even if you take public transportation, if you sit in the window seat, you actually decrease your chances for getting sick because there are less people walking by you.

  • The surgeon general issued a stern message on Twitter, saying, Seriously, people stopped buying Mass.

  • They're not effective in preventing general public from catching Corona virus.

  • But if health care providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them in our communities at risk.

  • It's a really good tips.

  • It is, it is.

  • There's so much information out there, and there's so much new information obviously coming out, It's good Thio difference.

  • Yeah, I'm taking the window seat from now on for sure.

  • Thank you so much.

  • Appreciate it.

  • Joining us again from Massachusetts, our chief health correspondent, Dr Jen Ashton, with us once again that we want to get your perspective on all of this.

  • Of course, many of us, especially with kids wondering how we could help our Children understand what's going on but not scare them in the process.

  • What do you recommend?

  • Well, first thing is you have to find out what they know.

  • Would you have to address this on an age appropriate level?

  • And we have to put things into context and reassure them.

  • And remember, they follow our lead.

  • So if you look like you're freaking out, that's probably not gonna be good for them, either.

  • And what should people do if they suspect they may have symptoms?

  • Perhaps after returning home from an affected country?

  • Well, I think the first thing is, remember that we have a saying in medicine.

  • Common things occur commonly, so even if you've been traveling and you develop, you know, a sore throat or a cough or a fever, you know you're more likely to have influenza with the new CDC estimated numbers just released on Friday, estimating 32 million cases here in the U.

  • S.

  • But Corona virus, especially if you've been traveling to one of the affected countries, should be on the list.

  • So before just rushing into a hospital, you want to try to call your provider.

  • If you don't have a regular provider called the Emergency Room, the local health department, because what we want to do is balance taking care of someone who may be sick and lowering or minimizing risk to others.

  • All right, Dr Ashton.

  • Thank you again.

  • Really appreciate it.

  • Hi, everyone.

  • George Stephanopoulos Here.

  • Thanks for checking out the ABC News YouTube channel.

  • If you'd like to get more video show highlights and watch live event coverage, click on the right over here to subscribe to our channel.

  • And don't forget the download.

  • The ABC News After breaking news alerts Thanks for watching.

well, we started this half hour with the new Corona virus help the professionals, pointing to that old Ben Franklin saying, This morning, an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure.

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it