Tips for Preparing for a Viral Outbreak

Being prepared is one of the keys to surviving. This applies to whether there’ll be a natural calamity, an emergency, or an epidemic. When talking about health, we can say that viruses love people. Why? Because each year, people are being infected with respiratory diseases like flu and the common cold. Once in a while, there are also new additions to these diseases, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Viral illnesses usually have a low fatality rate. However, being prepared is still important. As what they say, prevention is, indeed, always better than cure.

Since we cannot really predict what viruses will arise in the next months or years, we must know how to be prepared for them. If you are looking for ways on how to be prepared, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we will give you the best tips for preparing for a viral outbreak.

Tip #1: Arrange and secure essentials for at least 15 days

non-perishable food

To prepare for a viral outbreak, it’s important to organize and secure all your essentials for at least 15 days.

  • Food: If you are preparing for a pandemic, it is recommended to have a two-week supply of food and water. You also need to think about adding non-perishable foods to your pantry, including go-to foods for illnesses like crackers and vegetable or chicken broth. These are important because viral outbreaks require people to stay at home for quite some time. Therefore, securing your foods and drinks should be a priority.

  • Medications: Aside from food, you also need to secure medications. If you have regular prescription drugs, you need to check on them periodically to ensure that you have a continuous supply at home. You also need to have non-prescription medicines and other health supplies on hand, such as pain relievers, cough and cold medicines, vitamins, remedies for upset stomach, and other medicines for an emergency.

  • Cleaning Products: When it comes to viral diseases, staying clean is one of the best ways to stay safe. Therefore, securing some cleaning products may also help in your preparation for a viral outbreak. Some of the products that you may want to have at home are antibacterial soaps, hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes, all-purpose cleaner with bleach, laundry detergent, and dish soap.

  • Health Records: Arranging your health records is also advisable when it comes to being prepared for a viral outbreak. Make sure that you have copies of your records from doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and other sources, and store them in a safe place for personal reference.

Tip #2: Practice social distancing

Learning and practicing social distancing is very important during a viral outbreak. Social distancing means limiting your contact with the outside world and keeping a distance from other people. It is one of the most effective actions that people can take to curb dangerous viral diseases. As much as possible, avoid taking public transportations or making non-essential trips during a viral outbreak. It’s better if you can work from home, and avoid social gatherings, too.

When you need to go out in public, keep your distance to about six feet from other people. When you need to cough or sneeze, make sure that you cover your mouth and nose with a tissue and throw it immediately in the trash. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, and wash or disinfect your hands often.

Tip #3: Keep away from an area that does not have air circulation

When there’s a threat to a viral outbreak, it’s important to keep away from areas that do not have air circulation because the risk of catching the virus is higher in these places. Indoor and enclosed locations are riskier than outdoor ones because the wind and other elements are not around to help get rid of the virus.

Avoid places where it’s too cramped to stay at least six feet apart from other people. Do not go to places where there’s poor ventilation and air circulation, because they could allow virus-carrying respiratory droplet nuclei to remain floating in the air. Try to look for open windows, doors, air vents, running air conditioners, and other signs that the air is moving around.

Aside from social distancing, it is also important to look for space above people. Avoid going to places where there are low air space-to-person ratios. It’s because low ceilings may leave a little room for anything in the air to disperse. In addition to that, you also need to keep away from places where there is no ready access to hand washing and disinfection, and where the people are not following rules or taking precautions.

Tip #4: Exercise at home

woman exercising

A viral outbreak can also keep people from going to gyms, yoga studios, and the likes to stay fit and healthy. But this does not mean you also need to stop working out. If gyms are closed due to social distancing, you can instead exercise at home. There are lots of home workout videos that you can follow online to help you stay fit and healthy.

One of the reasons why many people prefer going to the gym is because of the exercise equipment that they can use there. If this is your dilemma, you can opt to buy cardio equipment for your home to avoid going to the gym when there’s a viral outbreak. You don’t really need to spend a lot to buy cardio equipment. Here is a list of very inexpensive elliptical trainers to give you an idea.

Tip #5: Help others

Help others

When there’s a viral outbreak, many people would feel anxious, while some would feel problematic, especially those who are losing their jobs and businesses. In a period of anxiety and social distancing, what do you think can you do to help others? Well, there are many ways that you can do to be able to reach out to other people during a viral outbreak.

You can donate to hospitals and healthcare workers, or maybe help the people who are out of work or unable to shop for food by giving them supplies or money to buy. There are lots of organizations that you can contact if you want to donate and help others. You can also start your own fundraising by selling certain products, or you can support small businesses that will be affected by social distancing.

It is also important to reach out to your friends, colleagues, and loved ones during a viral outbreak. See to it that you regularly check on them on how they are coping with the situation. Everybody needs to hear encouragement during these trying times.

These are some of the best tips we can give for preparing for a viral outbreak. These tips won’t guarantee that you will not get sick, but being ready and staying informed will help you keep the virus away as much as possible. We hope these tips will help you in preparing for a viral outbreak.