Coronavirus, the deadly illness that is alarming the world, may have started with something as simple as a person buying food for dinner at an outdoor market outside the U.S.
How risky is Covid-19?
How does coronavirus (corona virus) compare to the common flu? As I write, the illness is spreading across the world, however, there are fewer than 10 reported cases of coronavirus in the U.S. Compare that with more than 19 million cases of the flu in the 2019-2020 flu season with 10,000 deaths in the U.S. alone, as reported by USA Today.
At this time, the risk is much higher for influenza in the U.S. than for this new coronavirus. That should put things into perspective. Still, the situation is fluid, things are changing rapidly.
Should we be worried? Scared? No. We should be cautious, alert, vigilant, and prepared. We need to learn all we can and do all we can to prevent contact with influenza as well as this new coronavirus.
Don’t get it!
The best way to prevent infection from any virus is to not get the virus! The way to not get it is to avoid being exposed to any virus including this 2019 Novel Coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV.
Let’s review, shall we?
The CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has and continues to recommend the following preventive actions to help stop the spread of all respiratory viruses.
Wash your hands
Often. First thing when you walk into the house. When you arrive at work. Before you eat, at home or in a restaurant. Teach your kids to do likewise.
How to wash your hands
Wash with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. How long is that? The time it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song to yourself—twice! Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
Hands away
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Remember that whatever and whomever you touched since you last washed your hands may have transmittted a virus to your hands.
Others who are sick
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. And for goodness sake stay home when you are sick! Keep sick kids home from school. Then stay there with them. No quick trips to the grocery or other public areas where they could so easily pass along your virus to others.
Cover it
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. If no tissue is handy, sneeze into your elbow—not your hand.
Clean and disinfect
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in your home, car, office—wherever you and your family spend their time and come in contact with, well … surfaces!
The CDC pleads with us to do that with an EPA-approved disinfectant. What does that mean?
A product must go through rigorous and expensive testing by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to become approved. The bar is high to be named an EPA-approved disinfectant. Products that pass receive an official EPA registration number, which muct be clearly displayed on that product’s label.
I’m discovering that lots of products out there purport to be “99.99% effective against all germs, bacteria and viruses,” but without that Reg. number, I don’t believe it. It does not pass my trust-but-verify test. With what we are up against right now with this coronavirus warning, I’m not willing to trust my prevention efforts to a potentially fake disinfectant.
SNiPER is a companion product to our favorite NOK OUT odor eliminator. SNiPER Hospital Disinfectant Cleaner and Odor Eliminator is certified to be EPA-approved—with EPA Reg. No. 71700-2 printed right on the label.
Why SNiPER?
It is the only household disinfectant I use, for so many reasons. Unlike many disinfecting products that come with warnings, SNiPER is pet and family-friendly. I use it to clean my kitchen cutting boards without any need to rinse. It is safe to use around food; around pets and kids, too.
SNiPER has no fumes, no fragrance, no odor. It It is an amazing product. It is guaranteed to kill germs, bacteria and viruses after 10 minutes of coming in direct contact with them—including H1N1, SARS, MRSA and now this new 2019 Novel Coronavirus. And if whatever it came in contact with was stinky, that odor will be gone, too.
To use
Spray or wipe surface with SNiPER. Do not rinse. Allow to air dry, for at least 10 minutes.
SNiPER wet wipes
Ok, I made this up. We cannot buy these SNiPER wet wipes as pictured above, but they are my favorite way to use SNiPER. I carry a pack of SNiPER wet wipes in my handbag. I keep them in my car console and bathrooms drawers, too.
To make these wet wipes, I fold decent-quality paper towels (the kind that don’t fall apart when wet) into single use “wipes.” I put a stack into a Ziplock bag and pour in enough SNiPER to make sure they are well saturated. Done.
I use them to wipe down the inside of the car. I wipe doorknobs and handles. I wipe toilets, sinks, floors and all manner of surfaces in our home and office. My handy pack of SNiPER wet wipes is the first thing I reach for when I board a plane.
I use them to wipe down my seat, tray table, armrests, seatback pocket—everything I might touch during the flight. It dries quickly and I’m ready to go.
The persons sitting next to me are often quite curious, so I offer a wipe or two for them, too. Because SNiPER has no odor, no fragrance, no fumes—nothing like that—my routine is not at all offensive.
Of course, SNiPER is not the only effective disinfectant out there. Whatever you choose, make sure it is EPA-approved. If that costs more, it’s a small price to pay given this current siuation.
Prepared
You have all you need to get prepared. I hope you will get started right now—today! Life is uncertain, and that has never been truer than it is right now. Facing life prepared—not scared—is the way to be!
NOTE: SNiPER is an EPA-registered disinfectant, Nok-Out is not. SNiPER is stronger than Nok-Out, but has the same active ingredient, chlorine dioxide.
There is much more to learn about the transmissibility, severity, and other features associated with 2019-nCoV and investigations are ongoing. The latest situation summary updates are available on CDC’s web page 2019 Novel Coronavirus, Wuhan, China.
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