The Government rang, they told me to tell you to 'Stay At Home.'
Updated: Apr 16, 2020
Hey guys,
We just thought it would be a great idea to share some information straight from the UK Government website about the whole Covid-19 stuff and how to navigate this space. So, I literally copied and pasted everything you need to know during this time.
What is Corona-Virus (COVID-19) and where did it start?
COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It's caused by a virus called corona-virus.
Written by The Telegraph, the source of the corona-virus is believed to be a "wet market" in Wuhan, China which sold both dead and live animals illegally, including fish, birds, and reptiles.
Such markets pose a heightened risk of viruses jumping from animals to humans because hygiene standards are difficult to maintain if live animals are being kept and butchered on site. Typically, they are also densely packed allowing disease to spread from species to species.
The animal source of Covid-19 has not yet been identified, but the original host is thought to be bats. Bats were not sold at the Wuhan market but may have infected live chickens or other animals sold there.
Bats are host to a wide range of zoonotic viruses including Ebola, HIV and rabies.
Have we had anything like this before?
Yes, we have. Quite a few actually.
Every year during Spring Season, flowers start to blossom, the weather starts to get warmer, the trees grow their leaves again, and we start sneezing and coughing. That's called Seasonal Flu and it effects a lot of people. If you have hay fever, I know your struggle. This usually takes 3 weeks to reach its peak and then 3 weeks to disappear. But because we go through this every year and we usually get a vaccine as children, we managed to get through it in one piece.
The 1918 Influenza, also known as the Spanish Flu epidemic, was the deadliest flu that we have ever come across, infecting one-third of the world's population at the time (around 50 million people). But that was a different time, where we didn't have appropriate vaccines or antibiotics to treat this flu. People were also living in very crowded locations, with poor hygiene. The world was also taking part in World War I, so Soldiers would carry this illness to all corners of the world with them.
In 2009, we had the H1N1 Flu, also known as Swine Flu. It started off in January of that year in Mexico, and like Covid-19, quickly progressed around the world. People were panicking because we didn't have a vaccine to prevent or treat this new threat and this flu was spreading fast. By the end of that same year, a vaccine was created, the panic was put to rest and this vaccine is still used today to help us avoid that same situation.
The last big one we had was Ebola, which was first sighted in Guinea in 2013. This was a very dangerous flu but luckily it was only encountered in about 10 countries from around the world. This illness was a lot easier to identify as many people who were infected with Ebola quickly became very sick and had to have medical treatment. This illness was passed on through body fluids which made it a lot easier to identify those people who could be infected, treat them and contain this whole virus.
So, we have had all sorts of illnesses, flu and viruses in the past that we managed to beat and overcome. That does not mean that we should neglect the severity of the Corona Virus. In fact, because we know that we've had all sorts of illnesses in the past and governments from all across the world have enforced people to stay at home despite knowing this, we should treat the governments instructions and warnings with even more importance to keep ourselves safe and healthy. So, keep your faith up and stay at home.
Corona-virus (COVID-19): what you need to do
Stay at home
Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home)
If you go out, stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people at all times
Wash your hands as soon as you get home
Do not meet others, even friends or family. You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.
These are the most important instructions that the UK Government has given everyone and they have put these instructions in place to keep us safe.
Oh, and if you need to learn how to wash you hands properly, then check out this video:
There are a number of questions you may have during this time like:
1. How do I keep myself safe during this period?
2. What will happen to my exams or coursework?
3. I had my tickets booked to travel oversea, what now?
4. I was working before Covid-19 but now my employer had to let me go, what now?
5. My business has been seriously affected, can I get any support?
6. Is there any way that I can help during this period?
To find out everything you need to know during Corona-virus, please check out www.gov.uk/coronavirus for further instructions.
It is okay to feel scared, anxious, worried, and angry during this time. We are in a very uncertain period and we do not know what will happen tomorrow. Our lives have been turned upside down in a matter to days and there is no one to blame for this so of course we have so many questions and thoughts with no clear answers.
What is important right now is that you keep yourself safe, both physically and mentally. You can follow the governments instructions to stay 2 meters away from people who do not live with you, and remember to wash your hands frequently. You should also make sure that you have someone to talk to during this time, like a family member or friend. I've personally been writing in my journal quite a bit to try and understand how I feel and throw away some of my thoughts into a pen and paper.
I suggest using Kooth if you need that bit of extra support. Kooth is a free online platform for young people where you can connect with other members on the platform, have your own journal and goal setter, and get access to trained counsellors. You can use the platform 7 days a week and always have someone to talk to. Try it here: https://www.kooth.com/
I hope this article was helpful and if you have any more questions, you can comment on this post or reach out to us through our forum.