CALDERDALE COVID CHAMPIONS

UNDERSTANDING CORONAVIRUS AND COVID 19

Colin Hutchinson

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How does Covid Champions work?

Understanding Coronavirus and the disease it causes helps make sense of all the rules and laws about COVID. It can cut through the confusion. The rules may change, but the virus doesn’t.

We are only going to get through the pandemic by each of us adjusting our behaviour, showing respect for each other’s safety., based on a better understanding of the virus and the disease it causes.

We aim to give Covid Champions the latest information about Covid-19.

Champions share this information with anyone in their community, however they want, with their friends, their family, people they work with – anybody – when they are chatting, or on social media.

Champions let us know what is and what isn’t working. You can help us to make sure people are getting the information they need, in a way that makes sense, to protect themselves and people they care about. You can help us get this right.

Champions have access to updates and advice as and when they need it, through regular support meetings.

By a wider understanding of this disease, we can use that knowledge to protect ourselves, our families, friends and workmates. We are not powerless!

Any urgent questions?

Feel free to phone me and I will try and find an answer for you, if it can’t wait until the next support meeting.

Colin Hutchinson 07963 323082

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Understanding the Coronavirus

The virus cannot spread by itself. It needs our help.

A virus needs to get into the living cells of our body, which it then turns into factories for making more viruses.

The key elements of Coronavirus are shown in the diagram on the next page:

1. The envelope – this holds the virus together. It is made of fat. The virus disntegrates if you wash your hands in soapy water of use hand sanitiser. It also disintegrates if it lands on a surface and dries out. On paper and fabrics it only lasts a few hour,s but on plastic and aluminium surfaces, it can survive as long as 3 days. Wiping these surfaces with a disinfectant will destroy the virus.

2. The spike proteins – these help the virus stick onto the living cells in your lungs and airways. They attach to chemicals on the surface of your cells, called ‘receptors’. If the virus can’t stick on, it can’t infect you. Some people have more of these receptors than others and this may be part of the reason that some people are more likely to become seriously infected.

3. Viral RNA – this contains the code that tells your cells how to stop what they are doing and make more virus.

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How the Coronavirus causes infection

See the illustration on the next page.

1. The virus is breathed into your lungs and its spike proteins lock onto special chemicals on the surface of your lung cells, called ACE 2 receptors.

2. Once the virus is locked on, it gets pulled inside your cell.

3. Once inside, the envelope disintegrates and releases the viral RNA into the cell.

4. The RNA takes over the cell and instructs it to stop doing everything else and concentrate on making more and more components for new viruses.

5. These components are then used to assemble new viral particles, which are passed out of the cell, back into the air passages, where they can either infect more cells in that same person, or be coughed out, where they can be breathed in by somebody else, and the whole cycle is repeated.

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How does Coronavirus spread from one person to another?

An infected person may have billions of virus particles in their lungs, their airways and their saliva. There are three main ways that they can be passed onto somebody else. These are shown on the next diagram.

1. Droplets. If you cough, sneeze, shout or spit, little drops of fluid packed with viruses can spray onto anybody close to you and be breathed in. That is the reason for asking people to stay as far away as possible from other people and to wear a facial covering.

2. Infected surfaces. If these droplets land on a surface the virus they carry can stay infectious for up to 3 days on plastic and aluminium, but only for a few hours on paper or fabric. If someone touches that infected surface, they can pick up the virus on their hands. If they touch their mouth, nose or eyes, the virus can then get into your body. This is the reason for asking people to wash their hands thoroughly and frequently with soapy water or hand sanitiser and not to shake hands with anybody. Wiping down surfaces with a soapy cloth or disinfectant wipes gets rid of the virus. Cloth masks should be washed every day in soapy water.

3. Aerosols. If you breathe out on a cold day, you can see the water in your breath. This is called an aerosol, and viral particles can be carried much further in aerosols than in droplets. The amount of virus is likely to build up in the air in enclosed spaces, which is why you are advised to avoid crowded indoor spaces, wear face coverings and keep the windows open in rooms and if you are sharing a car with someone from another household.

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Timescale of infection

It normally takes about 5 days for somebody to fall ill after contact with another infected person (range 1-14 days)

An infected person can start to become a risk to other people from 2 days before they show signs of illness, because they can be shedding viruses as they breathe, without knowing that there is anything going on.

They can pass on the infection for up to 10 days after they showed signs of illness.

1-14 days Few days, to a few months - usually 1-2 weeks

Exposure ---------------------------------------- Symptoms ---------------------------------------- - - - - - - - - - Recovery

|---------------------------------- Infectious---------------------|

From 2 days before unwell to 10 days after

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How does COVID 19 make you unwell?

1. Damage caused by the virus – white blood cells, lung cells, blood vessels, kidneys, heart.2. Damage caused by the body’s reaction to the virus – excessively powerful immune reaction, inflammation and

blood clots.

Anybody can catch Coronavirus

But some people are more at risk of serious illness than others

Your mild illness could lead to their death

Older age

Men

Existing disease: obesity, diabetes (particularly if poorly controlled), heart disease, lung disease

Immunosuppressive treatment for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus etc

Living in a deprived area doubles risk of death

Occupation: taxi driver, security guard, chef, bus drivers, sales assistants, social care workers, medical workers

Black ethnicity – mainly non-racial factors (occupation, housing, economic)

Pakistani / Bangladeshi / Indian ethnicity – mainly non-racial factors (occupation, housing, economic)

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Do you have diabetes? Or do any of your friends or family have diabetes?

Have you heard or read anything about diabetes and Covid-19?

Having diabetes does not mean you are more likely to get Covid-19. You are no more likely to catch coronavirus than somebody without diabetes.

But some research has shown that if you do catch Covid and you have diabetes then you could be at higher risk of becoming more seriously ill.

It’s especially important that if you have diabetes yourself or you live with somebody who is diabetic that you stick to the Covid- 19 guidelines about meeting up with other people.

The good news is that if your diabetes is well controlled then your risk of becoming more seriously ill is significantly reduced.

Top Tips to help get and keep your diabetes under control

Be active – Being physically active helps to control your blood sugar levels. Try and do some physical activity every day. It doesn’t have to be going to the gym or playing sport - a short brisk walk is just as good. For ideas on how to be active visit the Active Calderdale website.

Lose weight – If your doctor has told you that you are overweight then losing even a small amount of weight can help to control your diabetes. A moderate amount of weight loss can even put your diabetes in remission (This is when your blood sugar levels are below the diabetes range). Have look at the free NHS weight loss plan for tips on losing weight.

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Take your medication – If you have been prescribed medication to control your diabetes make sure you take the right dose at the right time of day as advised by your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Attend appointments – you might be invited by your GP practice to have a check up appointment. It is important that you accept the appointment so that the health care professionals can see how you are doing and make sure you are in the best possible health. If you are invited for a face to face appointment the doctor/nurse will be wearing PPE and there will be appropriate social distancing to keep you safe. You might be offered a telephone appointment instead.

Can you tell us what there is in your community to help people manage their diabetes?

Can you tell us what you think is missing in your community to help people manage their diabetes? What help or support might people need that is hard to find?

If you or a loved one have been told that you don’t have diabetes yet but that you are at high risk of developing diabetes then the tips above to be more active, lose weight and attend any appointments you are offered are just as important. There is also a service available to help people at risk of diabetes to move out of the ‘high risk’ zone. Google Diabetes UK Know Your Risk to find out more and see if you are eligible.

( https://riskscore.diabetes.org.uk/start for digital comms)

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How to avoid infection

Risk is greatest indoors – wrap up warm and keep the windows open as much as possible Avoid crowded spaces Don’t meet up with other people unless you really have to – and stay as far apart as you can – at least 2

metres Don’t visit, or have visitors from other households

Try not to travel in a car with anyone you don’t live with

If you have to, keep windows open, wear a face covering, and try and sit beside the other person

Frequent and thorough handwashing- Soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds- Or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser

Face covering – my mask protects you – your mask protects me

Avoid touching face, eyes or mask

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How do you know you have COVID?

Key signs of COVID-19

High temperature New, continuous cough Loss of taste or smell

Also other signs which are not specific for COVID, but often occur as well

Muscle aches Shortness of breath Headaches Sore throat Tiredness Skin rashes on toes

In children under 11, symptoms more often affect their digestive system

Diarrhoea Vomiting Tummy ache

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What should you do if you think you have COVID?

Don’t waste any time!

Stay at home, and isolate yourself from other family members as much as possible Tell anyone you live with to stay at home Immediately arrange a test

https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test

or phone 119

If you test negative, you and the rest of your household can resume normal activities, with the same safeguards as everyone else.

If you test positive, you need to stay at home for 10 days after you first became unwell and people you live with need to stay home for 14 days from that day. Other people that you have been in close contact with in the two days before you became ill also need to stay at home for 14 days from when they last met you.

You will need to stay off work for this period, unless you can work from home. The Test and Trace Team can provide you with an Isolation Note for your employer. You can claim Statutory Sick Pay, if you are eligible If not, you may be able to claim Universal Credit. If you aren’t eligible for either of these and you cannot afford to stay off work, support may be

available through https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/community-support

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If you need help with food supplies, or there are other reasons which would make it too difficult to self-isolate, contact

https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/community-support

You will be contacted by the NHS Test and Trace service, or Calderdale Council public health team to find out:

People you regularly spend time with People you have spent 15 minutes or more with, less than 2 metres away People you have been with in a car or van Places you have been

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If you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID

If you have been in close contact with somebody who has COVID, it is quite possible that you might have caught the virus as well. Don’t be alarmed – in most people COVID is a fairly mild disease, although some people are at greater risk of serious illness, so it is important to treat the matter seriously.

You should be contacted by NHS Test and Trace or by Calderdale Council’s Public Health Team, who will be able to give you advice, instructions and offer support to help you follow those instructions.

If you are feeling perfectly well, it could be because

You may be infected but the disease has not progressed enough to make you unwell many people become infected but don’t become unwell because you have not picked up the infection at all

There is no way of knowing at this stage whether you might pass on the infection to someone who could become seriously ill, or even die.

To protect your family, your friends and your workmates, you need to isolate yourself from other people, including the other people who live in your home, for 14 days from the last day that you were in close contact with the person who tested positive, even if you feel perfectly well.

You will need to stay off work for this period, unless you can work from home.

The Test and Trace Team can provide you with an Isolation Note for your employer.

You can claim Statutory Sick Pay, if you are eligible

If not, you may be able to claim Universal Credit.

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If you aren’t eligible for either of these and you cannot afford to stay off work, support may be available through https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/community-support

If you need help with food supplies, or there are other reasons which would make it too difficult to self-isolate, contact

https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/community-support

If you become unwell, Immediately arrange a test for the virus

https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test

or phone 119

If you become very unwell, don’t hesitate to call for medical help, by phoning 119 or, in an emergency, phone 999. Make sure you tell them that you might have COVID.

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Can we get back to a normal way of life?

We can, if we can stop the virus spreading so easily, by looking out for one another.

We can, if we find out who has the virus and help them to avoid passing it on to other people.

Vaccination has eliminated smallpox from the world, has eradicated polio from most of the world, and has been very effective at stopping children dying from many other diseases.

It looks like vaccination could change Covid from a potentially dangerous disease to a mild one, but most of us will need to be vaccinated if we are to protect everybody.

This will take many months. In the meantime, we still need to protect ourselves and the people we care about.

There are no short cuts. Other countries are close to eliminating the virus – New Zealand, Australia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Rwanda.

If we do this properly, we can manage it too!

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Key Messages

The only way we can get rid of this virus is by changing our behaviour. That requires knowledge, understanding and a respect for others.

Many people carry the virus, but don’t know it. They may pass it on to someone else who might die from it. Don’t take that risk.

We need to protect one another by:o If you are indoors or sharing a car with people you don’t live with, wrap up warm and keep the windows open

as much as you can. o Wearing a face covering indoors, (except in your own home), in public buildings, in shops, on public transport

and if sharing a car o Avoiding crowded placeso Avoiding sharing a car with people who you don’t live witho Avoiding mixing with people from outside your household as much as possibleo Keeping as far as possible away from people from outside your householdo Coughing hygienically, into a tissue or into your elbow. Bin the tissue, then wash your hands.o Washing your hands thoroughly and frequently. Warm soapy water is best, but otherwiseuse an alcohol hand

sanitiser. High temperature, new continuous cough, loss of smell, loss of taste? Stay at home and arrange a test immediately Isolating everyone who is at risk of carrying the infection is the only way of stopping the disease. Stay at home if you

are told to self-isolate until you are no longer at risk of passing on the infection. Ask for support if you need help to isolate.

Contact tracing is essential to achieve this, so work with the National or the Calderdale Test and Trace system.

Together we can beat this disease, but only if we all play our part.

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Links to graphics

How social distancing can slow the spread of infection

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmY5_OcPGE

How each of us can stop the virus spreading – what we do really matters

https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/03/the-spinoff-toby-morris-siouxsie-wiles-design-graphics-illustration-coronavirus_dezeen_1704_col_1.gif

The virus spreads through the air we breathe. Fresh air reduces the chance of spreading the infection

https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-28/a-room-a-bar-and-a-class-how-the-coronavirus-is-spread-through-the-air.html

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Possible Useful Links

https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/sites/default/files/Coronavirus-Advice-Resources-Alternative-Formats-Community-Languages.pdf

http://www.communityresponsecalderdale.org.uk

https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/community-support

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own

You can download a free book for primary school age children to explain about Coronavirus and how to stay safer:

https://axelscheffler.com/books-for-older-children/coronavirus

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