Tips for Staying Healthy

• Wash your hands often and thoroughly. Key times include after touching door handles and other surfaces that are frequently touched by other people, or after coughing. Use hand sanitizers.
• Try to reduce how often you touch your face – your eyes, nose and mouth are the common routes of infection. This takes practice: most of us touch our faces 150 to 200 times per day.
• If you think you might be sick (especially if you have a fever), stay home instead of coming into work. You’ll recover more quickly there and you’ll protect your coworkers and patients from infections. Remember to rest and drink plenty of fluids
• When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve. Don’t cough or sneeze into your hands.
• Stay informed. Many new details about the spread of COVID-19 emerge each day. You will find some links below to sites that provide reliable and up-to-date information

Symptoms

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list the following symptoms for influenza:

• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Body aches, including headache
• Feeling tired
• Vomiting and diarrhea (usually more common with children)

According to the CDC, COVID-19 symptoms include

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

What is novel coronavirus (COVID-19)?

COVID-19 is a recently identified coronavirus that is causing an outbreak of pneumonia illness. It was first identified in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.

Since then, the virus has been identified in multiple other countries, including cases in the U.S.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), humancoronaviruses are common throughout the world and usually cause mild to moderate illness in people.

What is the risk?

This is a rapidly evolving situation and the risk assessment may change daily. The latest updates are available on CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) website.

Prevention

There is no vaccine to prevent this virus, and the CDC advises that the best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus.

Visit the COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment page to learn about how to protect yourself from respiratory illnesses, like COVID-19.

Here are everyday actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve. Don’t cough or sneeze into your hands.

For disinfection, diluted household bleach solutions, alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol, and most common EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective.

• Diluted household bleach solutions can be used if appropriate for the surface. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for application and proper ventilation. Check to ensure the product is not past its expiration date. Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser. Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted.
  • Prepare a bleach solution by mixing:
    • 5 tablespoons (1/3rd cup) bleach per gallon of water or
    • 4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water

From: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/home/cleaning-disinfection.html

Recommendations for people with respiratory symptoms

Call your healthcare professional if you feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19, or if you live in or have recently traveled from an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19.

Your healthcare professional will work with your state’s public health department and CDC to determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19.

You should:

• Call the New Mexico Department of Health at (505) 827-0006.
• Seek medical care right away. Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel and your symptons.
• Avoid contact with others.
• Do not travel while sick. Please do not get on public transportation
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol- based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

General Respiratory Illness Information
In addition, flu activity continues to be high in New Mexico. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to take the same everyday actions as above to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. These include getting a flu shot, avoiding those with the flu, washing your hands, covering coughs/sneezes in your elbow/sleeve and, if ill, staying home until you are fever-free for 24 hours. If you do become ill, seek medical attention within the first 48 hours of symptoms.

Students may also consult with their regular health care provider if overseas.

Students, Faculty and Staff who have not received the flu vaccine yet should check your local pharmacy or doctor’s office.

CDC information for travel

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed guidance for travelers, including a geographic risk assessment for COVID-19 transmission.