VACCINATION
Should you get a COVID-19 vaccination? https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/underlying-conditions.html
SOCIAL DISTANCING
Some risk factors to consider include advancing age, male gender, hypertension, diabetes, auto-immune conditions, BMI>35, oncology treatment.
The end of the lockdown is only the start of the delayed intercommunity spread of COVID-19. After the first (and then likely subsequent periodic lockdowns) in the next year or so, one can expect to be in contact with more people that are asymptomatic carriers (but infectious), are pre-symptomatic or have mild symptoms in our communities trying to make a living. Until people have been naturally inoculated or immunized, at-risk people will be no less vulnerable to COVID-19 complications in the months ahead, shopping for essentials or attending to social and work responsibilities.
As we have seen, there are likely to be surges at times and localised lockdowns or facility quarantining during these periods.
Knowing how to functionally social distance – how to protect oneself from infection whilst trying to continue with normal day-to-day activities – will allow some semblance of normality. We all need to be more familiar with viral dynamics – the situations of “close contact” where the risk of getting infected are higher.
This expert article explains the concepts of Dose of viral exposure, Duration of exposure and Dispersion of viral loads https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-06-26-distance-dose-dispersion-an-experts-guide-on-covid-19-risks-in-south-africa-and-how-to-manage-them/#gsc.tab=0
Close Contacts situations are described in by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
A person having had face-to-face contact with a COVID-19 case within 2 meters and > 15 minutes;
A person who was in a closed environment (e.g. classroom, meeting room, hospital waiting room, etc.) with a COVID-19 case for 15 minutes or more and at a distance of less than 2 metres;
A person having unprotected direct contact with infectious secretions of a COVID-19 case (e.g. being coughed on, touching used paper tissues with a bare hand);
A person having had direct physical contact with a COVID-19 case (e.g. shaking hands);
A person living in the same household as a COVID-19 case;
A healthcare worker (HCW) or other person providing direct care for a COVID-19 case, or laboratory workers handling specimens from a COVID-19 case without recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) or with a possible breach of PPE;
A contact in an aircraft sitting within two seats (in any direction) of the COVID-19 case, travel companions or persons providing care, and crew members serving in the section of the aircraft where the index case was seated (if severity of symptoms or movement of the case indicate more extensive exposure, passengers seated in the entire section or all passengers on the aircraft may be considered close contacts).
ACCESSIBLE SELF-PROTECTION
The appropriate use of now readily available Respirators significantly reduces the chances of becoming infected when one is in a high risk situation.
Try to source FFP2 Respirators to reduce the chances of getting an infection in the weeks and months ahead. These Respirators are stocked by online/hardware outlets. The CDC/WHO/3M technical advisory says these are near to equivalent to N95 Biohazard Respirator.
Remember that surgical/cloth masks and visors only reduce someone giving others an infection. “Buff coverings” are so ineffective that they are not allowed to be used as a “mask”.