Reader\'s Digest Canada - 05.2020

illustration by lauren tamaki

BYCourtney Shea

We ask Jason Tetro, author

of The Germ Files

How Can I

Avoid Deadly

Viruses?

Germs are top of mind right now,

thanks to the emergence of the new

coronavirus. How can we avoid

exposing ourselves to it, or similarly

dangerous diseases?

People want to hear there’s something

they can do to take extra precautions,

but the way you can protect yourself

from things like coronavirus—now

technically called COVID-19—is the

same way that you already should be

protecting yourself from regular flu

bugs and other pathogens: wash your

hands frequently and avoid contact

with surfaces that are touched by a lot

of people, such as doorknobs, handles

and elevator buttons.

In your own home, you can make

sure to clean and disinfect high-use

surfaces, which are generally in the

bathroom and the kitchen.

Understandably, there has been a

lot of attention paid to the cor onavirus,

but keep in mind the regular flu actu-

ally poses a comparable threat to

Canadians. According to Health Can-

ada, the flu causes about 12,200 hospi-

talizations and 3,500 deaths in the

country each year.

reader’s digest

14 may 2020

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