Coping with Covid-19-#2

We're in this together!

You’re hearing this phrase all the time, but this mantra has never been more relevant: we’re really in this together for the best and for the worst. Let’s protect each other and show love and kindness to one another as we never had before.

Let’s start with a virtual hug!

Let’s review some important information about Covid-19:

this coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is highly contagious- 1 sick person can infect as many as 3 healthy people in average.

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asymptomatic persons can also spread the virus 1-2 days before they’re present the first symptoms.

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the virus is spread mostly through cough droplets - remember that it is crucial to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze; wear a mask if possible.

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wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds

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coronavirus can survive on different surfaces for several hours/days- you need to clean the objects you’re in contact with regularly- your table, your phone, doors knobs; wash your hands before and after you’ll touch an object that you’ll pass on to or receive from another person. For example, immediately throw away the packaging of whatever you receive by post, including the envelopes of your mail and then wash your hands; if you use your credit card in a store (hopefully not often) and you pass it to the salesperson, you need to clean your hands and your credit card before and after.

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most common symptoms of Covid-19 are fever, dry cough, breath difficulties, with fever and/or dry cough being the most frequent symptoms; keep in mind that gastro-intestinal symptoms (diarrhea, vomiting) can also occur before fever or cough.

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social distancing, self-isolation and fast testing are the most effective measures so far to stop spreading the disease (the latter measure is unfortunately lacking in most of the countries); don’t be ‘patient 31’- in South Korea, although they have put in place very early impressive measures to stop the virus spread (including testing), patient n°31 is said to have been responsible for 80% of the country’s cases.

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the majority of cases are mild with low risk; self-isolation and symptomatic treatment (i.e. antipyretic for fever, hydratation etc.) for 14 days; French authorities advice to NOT use Ibuprofen and other NSAIS medication if there is a suspicion of Covid-19, however European Medicine Agency argues that there is no enough evidence to support this.

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only a small percentage of all infected cases develop critical symptoms that require hospitalisation/ ICU

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you need to call an emergency room if you have any serious/critical symptom (i.e. breathing difficulties, loss of consciousness etc.); be aware of emergency numbers in your country and also of public health protocols for Covid in your country (Covid hotline, etc.)

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we need to ‘flatten the curve’ (slow down the infection rate) to prevent the saturation of our hospitals’ capacities with catastrophic consequences as seen in Italy

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hospitals risk shortage not only of beds and equipment, but also of staff- Covid-19 seems to be more aggressive among healthcare professionals (we don’t know why yet), so again, please stay home and protect them too

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protect your family and friends- check regularly on old, vulnerable people around you and stay in digital contact with your loved ones for mutual support

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researchers unite forces and collaborate across several organisations; they released the Covid-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19), which includes over 24,000 research papers from peer-reviewed journals as well as sources like bioRxiv and medRxiv (websites where scientists can post non-peer-reviewed preprint papers)

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several existing drugs show encouraging results: Camostat, Favipiravir (Avigan), Cloroquine, Kaletra etc.; therapy with antibodies (from serum of recovered patients) also has shown some efficacy

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researchers are working hard to find Covid-19 specific drugs and also vaccines

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new tests are developed that can detect coronavirus faster (30 minutes)

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stay informed: Check regularly the World Health Organisation website (daily updates), NHS for UK residents, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, CDC for the USA and the public health organisations of your country of residence. Other resources: Our world in data, a16z Editorial (blogpost on covid).

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Trackers:

It’s hard to stay relaxed during these times, but let’s try together to increase our resilience and reduce stress. The sky is pretty grey but flowers have finally arrived and they bring some much needed beauty in our lives.

🎨ART

Several art institutions (museums, opera, ballets, concerts etc.) have opened their digital doors and now allow you to enjoy art directly from your couch: Opera Paris, Musée d’Orsay, Louvre, British Museum, Guggenheim Museum, National Gallery of Art, Pergamon Museum, Van Gogh Museum, Uffizi Gallery, NASA photography ; for more concerts, also check Arte.

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💻DAILY WEBINARS

The final programme will be announced soon, but every week you’ll have a variety of short sessions with Lavinia| Akesio and several guests (stay tuned on our Social Media).

stress & resilience- every day at 6pm UK with Lavinia, Zoom link here
mindfulness
feeling good
health
work

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🙏GUIDED MEDITATION

Besides using various online guided meditation sessions, you can also use Headspace free offer and also Calm, using this code for Akesio.

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👨‍👩‍👧‍👦PLAYING

Many offers are available but take a look at NASA website who offer a wide range of games, fun and educative activities for kids, students and families.

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🤡LAUGHING

Humour is very important to cope with stress, so indulge in whatever makes you laugh! And don’t forget to share your laughs with friends and family, they need it too :) Here’s what made me laugh to tears yesterday: this video and this one too, enjoy! this video and this one too, enjoy!

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🥁MUSIC

As human beings, music plays a fundamental role in our identity and culture, it’s a powerful medium which can affect us all deeply, it helps us to express our emotions and communicate with others. It helps us to feel good and remove stress and anxiety.

Either you play an instrument or just listen to music, keep in mind that music is therapeutic. Here is a video of an impressive drummer and if you’re a student or a teacher, here is a music learning app from theory to composition.

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🤸🏽‍♂️SPORT

In self-isolation, moving is a tricky, yet vital challenge. Check if your usual sports club doesn’t offer online classes, otherwise you can also check: Les Mills, 1Rebel , Yoga with Isabell, Gaia, Daily burn etc. You can of course do simple move like 20 squats every time you go to the bathroom, 2-5 minutes planks etc.

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👨‍🍳COOKING

Most of us had never cooked so much before- it is a great opportunity to learn new healthy recipes and also to play with your creativity. It can actually be lots of fun! If you lack inspiration, you can check: Span, Deliciously Ella, Dr Hymann.

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☎️FRIENDS & FAMILY

Spend some time with your friends and family on the phone/video-call- we need each other more than ever, we need love, empathy and support.

What are the activities that help you de-stress? Please write me and share your ideas and tips with others in the next Newsletters.

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💰PAY IT FORWARD

Let’s fight this coronavirus together (SARS-CoV2), please donate even a small amount here, to build a screening and triage mobile app for Covid-19.

Until next time, grow your resilience by small new daily routines (like meditation, webinars, exercise etc.), don’t overwatch the news, stay connected with your friends and family and most of all, spread LOVE, and enjoy this song ‘Fight the virus’!