What should be in the first aid kit in case of Omicron? Doctor Komarovsky answers

The Omicron coronavirus strain is rapidly spreading across Ukraine. The Ministry of Health is already preparing for an outbreak of the disease: according to medical forecasts, the country will be covered by a wave of infection at the end of January. It will not be possible to avoid a general incidence, because Omicron is unusually contagious. Pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky compared its contagiousness with measles, one of the most contagious infections on the planet. The doctor believes that Omicron "will come to every nasopharynx", and you need to prepare for this in advance. What means of protection to use, what to worry about on the eve of illness and how to complete a home first-aid kit?

The coronavirus outbreak has already begun

Statistics on the incidence of coronavirus in the country has been growing since the beginning of the year: every day (except weekends) the Ministry of Health records several thousand more cases. However, these are false figures, Yevgeny Komarovsky is sure. They are associated with a low level of free testing, and in fact there are much more patients with covid in Ukraine. “It seems to me that we have long crossed this threshold,” said the physician in an interview with Dmitry Gordon. A new wave of coronavirus in our country has already begun.

Yevgeny Komarovsky believes that such low incidence rates cannot be, first of all, due to the contagiousness of the new strain of coronavirus. Omicron, which now dominates all European countries, is transmitted incredibly quickly. No masks work against him, none of one of the most contagious infections in the history of mankind. This means that a new strain of covid “will come to every nasopharynx,” Komarovsky emphasizes, and every person will sooner or later receive Omicron.

Is it possible to protect yourself from Omicron?

With a 100% guarantee, you can protect yourself from Omicron only if complete self-isolation. If you are socially active, go to work, and your children attend kindergarten or school, the disease will still come to your home. Why then take care? At a minimum, in order to complete the full course of vaccination - it will not give you protection against infection, but it will help to transfer the disease more easily.

Statistics show that a new strain of coronavirus affects both those who have been ill and those who have been vaccinated. But Omicron poses the greatest danger to those who do not have vaccinations. According to preliminary data, unvaccinated citizens are 4.5 times more likely to have a severe course of hospitalization, and 10 times more likely to die from covid.

How to “delay” infection with Omicron? First of all, with the help of the right masks, Yevgeny Komarovsky said on the air of the Ukraine-24 channel. Ordinary pharmacy and even more so textile masks do not work against the virus. Respirators like N95 FFP2 help. Yes, they are a bit more expensive than a standard medical mask: a set of 10 such respirators today can be bought for 180 UAH (that is, 18 UAH per joke). But it is really an effective barrier against the entry of the virus into the nasopharynx.

Also, no one cancels the social distance: where possible, avoid crowds. If your work involves staying in an office, make it a rule to regularly ventilate the room. To understand how well your ventilation works, buy a CO2 sensor (it costs from 1000 UAH) - this is especially true for offices with a large number of employees, schools and kindergartens.

How to prepare for Omicron?

So that the disease does not take you by surprise, Evgeny Komarovsky advises to carry out preparatory measures in advance. So, for example, it is worth equipping the first-aid kit with essential drugs. The house should have ibuprofen, paracetamol, vasoconstrictor drops - based on all family members (and for children too). Also, be sure to make sure that you have an adequate supply of drinking water, because the main thing in the treatment of viral infections is to drink plenty of fluids, the expert notes.

In case your family gets sick and you can't leave the house for a long time, you can buy food. It is good if there is sugar, salt, cereals in the house, and a supply of meat in the freezer. Also take care of pets if you have them: you need to think about who will look after them if you taken to the hospital, recalls Evgeny Komarovsky.

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