What can I do about COVID-19?

My name is Gordon Doig and I am an epidemiologist who has worked in critical care for more than 20 years. I live in Sydney, NSW, Australia. Like you, I have tried to keep up to date on the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) that started in Wuhan, China. Because I don't see a lot of truly useful information coming from the mainstream media, I have been going directly to credible sources like the World Health Organisation. The purpose of this page is to describe in plain language what the WHO recommends and to provide links to WHO content so you can understand exactly what they are saying.

Interactive graphs: World HotSpots, US HotSpots and World Map

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How can I protect myself in public

If you are healthy, when you are out in public:

  • Stand at least 1 m away from people who are coughing or sneezing.

    • In Australia, it is now strongly recommended that everyone should keep a 1.5 m space between themselves and others, even if the other person looks healthy!

  • Avoid shaking hands, hugging or kissing anyone on greeting.

  • Your hands may touch infected surfaces. DO NOT touch your eyes, nose or mouth with your hands when you are in public!

  • THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to wash your hands FREQUENTLY with soap and water or an alcohol based hand rub.

    • Please watch this video on proper hand washing from the WHO. Note the very clever tip for turning off the tap using a paper towel after washing!

    • And here is a link to instructions on the proper use of hand gel from the WHO. Please remember to let the hand gel dry by itself when you are finished. If you dry your hands with a towel, the gel will not be on your hands long enough to kill the virus!

  • The World Health Organisation says you may benefit from wearing a face-mask in public if you are in an area where many people have COVID-19 and physical distancing cannot be achieved.


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Page last modified on Saturday 6 June 2020.