Coronavirus: recommendations in our stores

On Wednesday afternoon the news jumped: The Ministry of Labor publishes an action guide for companies and employees on coronavirus. Before accessing this guide, at Baby Experience we were preparing a Internal protocol of action in terms of hygiene and disinfection, out of respect for our customers and to provide, above all, peace of mind.

We have decided to do it far beyond the coronavirus, taking into account that in our sector we have pregnant women and babies susceptible to any type of infection, such as a common cold, the flu or gastroenteritis.

We will leave all the useful and necessary information collected in this post.

What will we do from Baby Experience?

Taking into account that the public service personnel are within the risk groups, we will take the following measures:

• We will organize the work and take specific measures for the most sensitive people. In our case, Our pregnant clients are a risk group, so we will maintain the recommended distance of one meter.

• Our bathrooms will have the necessary information on how to perform proper hand hygiene; which our staff will do on a recurring basis.

• Behind the counter, Our workers will have hydroalcoholic gel to additionally disinfect their hands after answering the phone, handling money, testing or installing car seats, etc.

• In addition to the daily cleaning that is carried out regularly in our stores, a suitable disinfectant such as isopropyl alcohol to 70% will be used (a higher concentration is not more effective, Unlike) in the counter areas, keyboards, mice, telephones, cash register, knobs and door handles. In short, on all those contact surfaces. Disinfection will be done regularly both in the morning shift and in the afternoon shift.

It is not known for how long the virus causing COVID-19 survives on a surface, but it appears to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies (including preliminary information available on the COVID-19 virus) indicate that coronaviruses can subsist on a surface for a few hours to several days. The time may vary depending on the conditions (for example, the type of surface, the temperature or the humidity of the environment).

World Health Organization, WHO

• The office team Experience Baby can use the telecommuting as a temporary and extraordinary measure.

As you can see, they are very simple measures that we can all carry out. Right now we are all pending the coronavirus, not for its lethality –which, as you will see below, does not exceed that of a flu– but for its infectivity; Y the reality is that every year many people die from other pathologies that are not the focus of attention.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

I recommend accounts like those of Lucia Galán Beltrán, pediatrician and great popularizer. Thanks to her we were able to know the account of My favorite nurse where we discover the phone number that the Ministry of Health has activated precisely to meet the Citizen information requests about prevention measures, possibilities of contagion and false concepts related to the virus: 900 112 061.

According to him CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):

We do not have information from published scientific reports on the susceptibility of pregnant women to COVID-19. Pregnant women experience immunological and physiological changes that can make them more susceptible to viral respiratory infections, including COVID-19. Too may be at risk of serious illness, morbidity or mortality compared to the general population, as seen in cases of other infections by related coronaviruses and other viral respiratory infections, such as the flu, during pregnancy.

We also leave you the link of e-lactation where you can see that If you are breastfeeding moms and you are infected with COVID-19, nothing happens; the risk is very low for lactation and for the infant. This coronavirus has not been detected (nor was SARS-CoV ever detected) in breast milk (data from February 19, 2020, CDC). If the mother is infected, she should follow the recommendations of the health personnel, and if she is too ill to breastfeed, it would be convenient to express the milk to avoid breast congestion, and offer it to the baby.

As a reminder, although we are saturated with information; We leave you extracts from reliable sources.

Coronavirus what is it?

Coronaviruses are an extensive family of viruses that can cause disease in both animals and humans. In humans, they are known to cause respiratory infections that can range from the common cold to more serious illnesses; such as SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Currently, the Wuhan Coronavirus is SARS-CoV-2, also called COVID-19.

According to the data recorded so far, COVID-19 presents a mortality rate between 2% and 4%, depending on the country and the characteristics of its health system.

The flu virus fatality rate between 2018 and 2019 was 6.1%; superior to that of the Wuhan Coronavirus.

Report on Surveillance of influenza in Spain, Season 2018-2019; carried out by the Carlos III Health Institute and the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network

What are the symptoms and how is the coronavirus COVID-19 spread?

We will quote verbatim what the WHO, World Health Organization:

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness and dry cough. Some patients may have pain, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and appear gradually. Some people become infected but do not develop any symptoms and are not ill. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without the need for special treatment. About 1 in 6 people who get COVID-19 develop a serious illness and have trouble breathing. Seniors and those with underlying medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, problems heart disease or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious disease. Around 2%, people who have contracted the disease have died. People with fever, cough, and shortness of breath should seek medical attention.

A person can get COVID-19 from contact with someone who is infected with the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through droplets from the nose or mouth that are thrown out when an infected person coughs or exhales. These droplets fall on objects and surfaces around the person, so other people can get COVID-19. if they touch these objects or surfaces and then they touch their eyes, nose or mouth. They can also be spread if they inhale the droplets that a person with COVID-19 has spread by coughing or exhaling. So it is important stay more than 1 meter away from a person who is sick.

The risk of contracting COVID-19 from an infected person who has not yet had any symptoms is very low. However, many people who get COVID-19 have only mild symptoms. This is particularly true in the early stages of the disease. Therefore, it is possible to get it from someone who, for example, only has a mild cough and does not feel sick.

What can we do to protect ourselves?

Since the information we have is updated at times, it is best Follow reliable sources such as WHO and relevant health authorities.

Basically, what we should do in a particular way is:

• Wash our hands thoroughly with soap and water. We can also use an alcohol-based disinfectant if at that time we don't have a place to carry out the task; or as an additional measure after washing and drying hands.

• Keep a minimum distance of one meter between us and anyone who sneezes or coughs.
• Avoid touching our eyes, nose and mouth. We touch many surfaces that could be contaminated, hence we must maintain proper hand hygiene.
• In case of sneeze or coughwe shall Cover the nose and mouth with the inside of the elbow bent or with a handkerchief that we will discard immediately.

People who do not have respiratory symptoms such as cough do not need to wear a medical mask. The WHO recommends the use of masks for people who have symptoms of COVID-19 and for those who care for people who have symptoms such as cough or fever. The use of masks is crucial for health workers and people who care for someone (whether at home or in a health facility). The WHO advises the rational use of medical masks to avoid unnecessary waste of valuable resources and their improper use.

World Health Organization, WHO

• Stay home if we are not feeling well. If there is a cough or shortness of breath, we will look for medical attention and we'll call ahead, following the orders of the local health authorities. They will have up-to-date information on our area, and giving advance notice before going will allow them to redirect us to the right center, protecting us and preventing the spread.

Containment measures are being carried out (quarantine, for example), to eradicate the disease and not to remain among us as a seasonal disease more (that which we save).

María Esclapez, Psychologist at the Centro Creciendo medical center

We also thank ITEL, Spanish Technical Cleaning Institute, for the cleaning and action protocols that have been provided in relation to the coronavirus; already brand Babygiène that will supply us with an ecological and effective disinfectant to disinfect all surfaces.