Dear Coronavirus

On Monday 23rd March 2020, the UK government announced that, in order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), people should only leave their homes for essential reasons.

We’re experiencing a Pandemic!

Wow, I know, it’s all so overwhelming and scary, quite anxiety inducing.

It all feels like a novelty.

The entire World is currently frantic over Coronavirus!

It seems to be the only thing we’re all talking about.

I mean, due to this outbreak, economies are

cities have

,

countries have

stranded

boarders, people are

abroad. Schools, restaurants, leisure centres and most

! Some people have lost their jobs!

shops have

Health care systems are

stretched !

exams -

Weddings, birthdays, national curriculum

! Nearly everybody around the

All

globe is wearing masks, gloves and carrying hand sanitisers, some even wearing this personal protection gear around their

homes! The scariest part overnight, and things that

own

is that it all feels like it happened felt so certain to everyone, are now no

longer so.

So? We’re currently living through unprecedented times ...

I know right, initially part of me thought it was exciting, (and to my defence, new things can be exciting?) , but I admit, I was quite naive to Coronavirus. To be honest with you, I was one of those people who thought this outbreak compared to the seasonal flu and I didn’t quite understand what all the fuss was about, or why my mother, along with half of the country, were now suddenly panicky over a shopping list!

Yet, here we are, in lockdown, with almost all of us adjusting to quarantine and self isolation. This Coronavirus is serious!

Viruses know nothing other than to, KILL KILL KILL! A virus does not discriminate, it can affect any one of us, young or old, no matter our race or religion, and no matter how hot or cold the weather is outside; but don’t worry, WE WILL BEAT THIS! I’m hopeful things will get better soon.

Thanks to our body’s Immune System, most of the people who catch Covid-19 can recover and eliminate the virus from their bodies!

Once recovered, those people will then be immune to the virus!

It’s important to try and stay healthy all the time, so our bodies can grow with a strong immune system! Our immune system protects our body against disease and infection.

There are fifteen particular foods that help maintain our Immune System’s health, these Immune System Boosters are...

Citrus Fruits As our bodies don’t produce or store Vitamin C, we need it daily for continued health.

Vitamin C is thought to increase the production of white blood cells.

Some popular Citrus fruits are Grapefruit, Oranges, Tangerines, Lemons, Limes and Clementines.

Red Bell Peppers Red Peppers contain twice as much Vitamin C as Citrus. They’re also a rich source of beta carotene, which keeps your eyes and skin healthy.

Papaya Papaya is another fruit loaded with Vitamin C, one single Papaya contains 224 percent of the daily recommended Vitamin C amount.

They also contain Potassium, B Vitamins and folate, to further contribute to your health.

Kiwi Kiwi contain a ton of essentials nutrients, such as folate, Potassium, Vitamin K and Vitamin C. Garlic Garlic has been valued for helping fight infection and is also believed to help lower blood pressure and slow down the hardening of arteries. It’s immune boosting properties come from its heavy concentration of a sulfur-containing compound, allicin.

Broccoli Packed with Vitamins A, C and E, as well as antioxidants and fibre. Its one of the healthiest vegetables to eat! The key is to cook it as little as possible, or better yet, not at all!

Sunflower Seeds Full of nutrients including Phosphorous, Magnesium and Vitamin B6. They also have Vitamin E, an antioxidant for maintaining immune system function. Avocados also contain a high amount of Vitamin E.

Tumeric A spice used for years as an anti-inflammatory and for treating both Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. It has high levels of Curcumin, which can reduce exercise-induced muscle damage.

Ginger May help decrease inflammatory illnesses such as a sore throat and can also help decrease nausea. May also help reduce chronic pain and may possess cholestrol lowering properties.

Spinach Rich in Vitamin C as well as numerous antioxidants and beta carotene, which may increase the infection-fighting abilities of our immune system. Similar to Broccoli, its healthiest when least cooked.

Green Tea Packed with key antioxidants, Flavonoids and epigallocatechin gallate, (EGCG). EGCG has been shown to enhance immune function. Green tea is steamed and not fermented, so the EGCG is preserved.

Almonds Almonds contain Vitamin E, which can help prevent and fight off colds.

Yogurt Look out for yogurts with “live and active cultures” printed on the label, like Greek Yogurt.

These cultures may stimulate your immune system to help fight diseases.

Poultry Poultry such as chicken and turkey are high in Vitamin B6. A chicken soup can help you feel good. Vitamin B6 is an important player within our body’s chemical reactions. Its also vital for the formation of new and healthy red blood cells.

Shellfish Packed with Zinc. Zinc is needed so our immune system cells can function as needed.

Well, in December 2019 there was a cluster of Pnemonia cases in Wuhan, China, at the time, people didn’t know the reason for these cases, but we now know those people were ill due to this novel 2019 Coronavirus. The disease has since spread from those Pnemonia patients to others, including their family members and healthcare staff; the disease spread across China and then also to other countries around the globe.

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses, they consist of a core of genetic material surrounded by an envelope of protein spikes. It’s shape gives the appearance of a crown, the word “crown” in Latin is, “corona” - and that’s how coronaviruses get their name.

There are different types of coronavirus that sometimes cause respirtory or sometimes gastrointestical symptoms. Respiratory disease can range from a common cold to pnumonia and in most cases the symptoms tend to be mild, however there are some types of coronavirus that can cause severe disease.

These include the severe and acute respiratory symptom coronavirus SARSCov, first identified in China in 2003 and the Middle East respiratory coronavirus MERS-Cov, first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

But WHERE did the virus come from?

Its known that coronaviruses circulate in a range of animals, sometimes these viruses can make the jump from animals to humans, and this could be due to a number of reasons such as mutations in the virus or increased contact between humans and animals. For example, MERS-Cov is known to be trasmitted from Camels and SARS-Cov from civet cats. It’s not clear which animal is related to the 2019 Coronavirus or exactly how it started, many people think Covid-19 is from bats, but it’s thought to be from illegally sold wildlife at the seafood market / wet-market in Wuhan, suggesting animalto-person spread. Interestingly to note though, as researchers have been looking into the virus they’re realising the protein codes of Covid-19 are most like those used in snakes. The possible reasoning is that snakes often hunt bats in the wild—and because snakes were also sold at the seafood market in Wuhan, the 2019 coronavirus may have jumped from bats to snakes to then humans, at the beginning of the outbreak. Regardless, more research on the theory is being done as efforts for a vaccine are in large. The Wuhan seafood market has recently been disinfected and shut down.

As of yet, we’re still not sure how long this pandemic will last, but on the 29th March 2020 our deputy chief medical officer, Jenny Harries, said that, “this is a moving target, if we do well, it moves forward”, meaning, beating this is a collective effort. We’re all in this together! We move as a body, as one! If part of us aches, then we are all still aching... You see, on average, an infected person is likely to infect two other people during their infectious period. The exact dynamics of how the virus is transmitted are yet to be determined, but generally, respiratory viruses are usually transmitted through droplets created when an infectious person coughs or sneezes, or by touching something that has been contaminated with the virus.

We must all continue to help eachother, following the advice and guidelines provided by our government in order to stay safe, and to overcome this faster.

Covid-19 is a new disease and there is limited information on risk factors but, as far as we know, the people most in risk of infection from Coronavirus are...

- Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions, like lung or heart disease or diabetes, or people who are immunocompromised.

(Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised, including cancer treatment, smoking, organ transplantation, immune deficiencies or prolonged use of immune weakening medications).

- People with moderate or severe Asthma.

(If you have Asthma, Covid-19 can affect your respiratory tract and may cause an athsma attack, possible pneumonia and acute respiratory disease).

- A family member or healthcare workers caring for someone how has contracted the Covid-19 disease.

So, how does the disease present?

Well, from what is known so far, there can be a number of symptoms ranging from mild to severe.

There can be fever and respiratory symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath, and in severe cases there’s been pneumonia, kidney failure and death; the mortality rate is not known yet.

The infection can be diagnosed by a test called PCR, (Polymerase Chain Reaction). This test identifies the virus based on its genetic fingerprint.

There is currently no specific medication for the virus, and treatment is supportive care. There is currently no vaccine to protect against the virus, but treatment and vaccines are currently in development.

Wash your hands. Practice good hygiene.

Wash hands regularly for 20 seconds, each time using soap and water, or use an anti-bacterial hand sanitiser. Avoid touching your face if you’ve not washed your hands. Always disinfect surfaces.

Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.

Avoid close contact with those who are unwell.

Use masks and personal protective equiptment (PPE) appropriately, especially in a healthcare setting.

Its important to stay home if you’re feeling unwell.

Our government has made itself clear.

Stay Home. Protect our NHS. Save Lives.

Stating: “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.”

(16th April 2020): “You should only leave your home for very limited purposes: • Shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible.

• One form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household.

• Any medical need, including to donate blood, avoid or escape risk of injury or harm, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.

• Travelling for work purposes, but only where you cannot work from home.”

(6th April 2020): “Do not leave your home if you have either: • A high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature).

• A new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual).

To protect others, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Stay at home.

Use the 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do.

Only call 111 if you cannot get help online.

For life threatening emergencies, call 999 for an ambulance”.

(16th April 2020): “Do not leave your home if you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) or live with someone who does.

This is called self-isolation.

If you are self-isolating, you must: • not leave your home for any reason, other than to exercise once a day – but stay at least 2 metres (3 steps) away from other people.

• not go out to buy food or collect medicine – order them by phone or online, or ask someone else to drop them off at your home.

• not have visitors, such as friends and family, in your home.

• You can use your garden, if you have one.

If you have symptoms of coronavirus, you'll need to self-isolate for 7 days.

After 7 days: • if you do not have a high temperature, you do not need to self-isolate, • if you still have a high temperature, keep self-isolating until your temperature returns to normal.

• You do not need to self-isolate if you just have a cough after 7 days. A cough can last for several weeks after the infection has gone.

If you live with someone who has symptoms, you'll need to self-isolate for 14 days from the day their symptoms started. This is because it can take 14 days for symptoms to appear.

If more than 1 person at home has symptoms, self-isolate for 14 days from the day the first person started having symptoms. If you get symptoms, self-isolate for 7 days from when your symptoms start, even if it means you're self-isolating for longer than 14 days.

If you do not get symptoms, you can stop self-isolating after 14 days.

If you live with someone who is 70 or over, has a long-term condition, is pregnant or has a weakened immune system, try to arrange for them to stay with friends or family for 14 days”.

To help yourself stay well while you're at home: • rest and sleep.

• drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration – drink enough so your pee is light yellow and clear.

• take paracetamol to lower your temperature.

The lockdown has become our new law.

The Police have the power to close a wide range of non-essential businesses and can issue fines to those who refuse to social distance. They can enforce the two key social distancing rules, which ban: - Leaving the place you live “without reasonable excuse”.

- Being in a public gathering of more than two people.

(It is important to make clear that it is not a crime to leave your home to flee from harm for example, domestic abuse) .

The Government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, did share some positive news on Tuesday 7th April 2020, he said the new data showing the number of new coronavirus cases in the UK suggest the country “could be moving in the right direction”.

These stricter social distancing measures will be in place for formal review after every 21 days. On the 9th April, Ministers at The Cabinet Breifing Rooms (COBRA), reviewed the situation (the first lockdown formal review), but concluded to extend the lockdown, saying it was still too early to know for sure if the lockdown measures have been successful in stopping the spread of Covid-19, however at the same time assured the nation that our efforts are making a positive difference in combatting the virus.

On 16th April, Dominic Raab said the UK coronavirus lockdown will only be lifted under five conditions: 1. Knowing the NHS can cope.

2. Sustained fall in daily death rate.

3. Infection rate falling to manageable levels.

4. Testing capacity and protective equipment supply.

5. Confident a second wave of infections won’t hit.

Lets have a look at the positives...

Following the “stay at home” rule, there’s a massive shift happening right now as we’re all taking the time to drastically adjust our daily routines.

Every single person is being affected by this coronavirus outbreak in some way, and the main reason we’re all staying at home is to keep safe, protect ourselves and others. This adjust isn’t easy, and emotional peaks or irritation may be the new norm for many as this crisis develops, and we’re in it for the long haul, but as a positive, being at home presents a great opportunity for reflection, in an odd way, its like having the luxury of a pause button; ground yourself through this change and step away from fear and into love, (which I know sounds so incredibly roll-eyes cheesy), but trust me, its a great time to connect with our true self, family or friends and with neighbours, even revive spiritual connections.

It’s important to remember to try take care of our minds as well as our body while staying at home because of Coronavirus. Remember that everyone reacts differently, and also remember that this situation is temporary and for most of us, these difficult feelings of worry, boredom, concern for finances, health and lonliness, will pass.

Adapting may be difficult intially but social distancing doesn’t have to be a sad or tiresome thing? Being alone isn’t the same as being lonely, in fact, this social distancing period can be quiet empowering or reviving for many!

Plan the practical things.

Work out how you can get any household supplies you need. You could try asking neighbours or family friends, or find a delivery service.

Stay connected with others.

Maintaining healthy relationships is important for our mental wellbeing, you can stay intouch with family and friends through the phone, email, messages, video calls, social media - whatever works best for you. Lots of people are finding the current situation difficult, so staying in touch could help them too, and remember its okay to talk about your worries with others you trust.

Look after your body.

Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, drink enough water and exercise regularly. Avoid smoking or drugs, and try not to drink too much alcohol.

Remember you can leave your home for one form of exercise a day, alone or with members of your household, just remember to keep a safe 2 meter distance with others. Alternatively, try out an easy home workout!

Do not stay glued to the news.

Try to limit your time spent listening and reading, as it can get overwhelming. Try to stick to trustworthy sources such as GOV.UK or the NHS website.

Look after your sleep.

Sleep can have a huge magical impact on how we feel, so try your best to maintain a regular sleeping pattern.

Keep your mind active.

Release your inner artist! How about giving drawing or painting a try? or try playing some games, completing puzzles, jigsaws, reading books or writing, maybe even learn a new language online, start a blog, or a youtube channel! Whatever it is, find something that works for you. (I think, that emerging from this crisis, we’ll have a huge wave of teachers, bakers, gardeners and DIY people ... but just guessing!)

Being alone comes with a few perks, you get to ...

- Enjoy some peace and quiet.

- Enjoy and notice the little things.

- Take your time in the mornings, enjoying a cup of tea while watching the rain or sunlight change.

- Make a mess! Rearrange your space without anyone’s input! Tidy it whenever and organise it however you like.

- Take a break whenever you want to, enjoy some quality, “me time�.

- Have a party by yourself! Dance like no one is watching (cause no one is!).

- Enjoy watching whatever movies you like, whenever you like.

- Create your own, “fine dining” rules, that’s right, be a messy eater, enjoy all the spaghetti and pasta sauce!

- Treat yourself to a whole batch of cookies.

- Meditate or pray without distrations.

- Bath for as long as you like, melt away all your troubles...

- Take it all in ...

- Work in your pyjamas - because you can!

One positive, is that it seems we’re all taking time to re-evaluate what is important to us and consider how to care. Something coronavirus has proved, is that there is such a thing as society. Millions of people have joined social media groups to try help and volunteer within their communities because now more than ever, we are more aware at how dependant we are on other people; and that’s an inspiring thing to come out of a pandemic.

What’s been extraordinary to see is how engineers and doctors have responded to this crisis, with innovation, inspiration, optimism and extrodinary hard work! Many people are working their socks off to keep our society running.

What’s odd, is that some sometimes think the most important among us are the fancy lawyers or politians and business CEOs but interestingly, I think most of that class system are now likely at home doing video conference calls probably feeling helpless to this wider situation. What I’m trying to say is that I hope over time this pandemic will lead people to a more egalitarian view, recognising that all human life, everyone, has real value. Everyone is important. Everyone is part of the system in society; that doesn’t mean we all have to get paid the same but it just means that all human life and all the different work that people do to keep our economy and society functioning has real value.

One thing the pandemic has done is force us to think differently. I think, and one could hope that, after this pandemic there’ll be a burst of creative thinking, of new political thinking, new social thinking, new cultural thinking, and new ecological thinking.

Over the past few days it’s been extrodinary to wake up and see clear skies without contrails, hear the birdsong in the moring without it being disrupted by the traffic noise or even being able to smell the perfume of flowers when walking past the blooming Spring blossom trees. I think that hopefully when we get to the end of this immediate crisis, we’ll begin to look at other problems, such as climate change or pressures on public services, without so much fear, without saying they belong in the “too difficult” box. We can hope this pandemic will bring forward a new approach as more people will realise natural disasters can actually really impact their life and so suddenly, the once considered theoretical problems may seem more immediate to people in a way they never were before.

We’re going through change, and hopefully we don’t end up just going through it but growing through it. Annoyingly, good or bad, change is something we can always count on, it always creeps up on us! Interestingly though, along with the large, heartbreaking changes of this period, we’re also going through small, psychological changes, as little as how we see people.

It’s scary to recognise that we’re oddly getting used to treating strangers as dangerous. I never used to think much about safety or regularly about how someone I walk past in the street could potentially be dangerous to me, I can imagine many of those who live in apartment complexes opting for the stairs back to their flats, rather than their usual elevator ride, in hopes to not come across anyone! - crazy! It leads me to wonder that maybe just as how we’re adapting to this “corona-life”, that maybe we’re going to have to go through a similar socially-adjusting period before we can get ourselves back to “normality”. It’ll be a grand tradgedy if this virus ends up destroying hugs in our society! At times, change can feel like the most difficult thing

but you never know, or may not be aware of it just yet, but as the days go by we may develop some personal healthy habits that we’d like to keep or retreat to post quarantine time. As food for thought, and not meaning to add any pressure but, should we be waiting to go back to normal, or should we be trying to redefine what we want our lives to look like once this is all over? Perhaps quarantine may at least help some of us realise some things we don’t want to put up with anymore, or even help us see the true quality of our friendships or relationships. Maybe some of us will discover aspects of ourselves or find an activity we didn’t realise we‘d enjoy, starting something fresh. Whatever it may be, I hope you stay well during this self isolation / social distancing / quaratine period. There’s no “right way” to be feeling right now, or such a thing as a “secret productivity mission” where we’re all expected to achieve something great with our few extra hours of time here and there. Right now, the main aim is for us all to just stay safe. There is a lot of grief, uncertainty and fear out there, but we will get through this, hopefully stronger as a society! (yep, just like the Kelly Clarkson song, “Stronger”!).

I hope this booklet or little magazine, has brought you a little bit of entertainment through some hopefully relatable illustrations, information and happy reading, feeding and fueling your soul, to renew some strength, adding a touch of joy. The World may feel a tad bit emptier right now, but that’s just because we’re all hiding! But with every day that goes by, we’re learning more and becoming more prepared, getting one step closer to overcoming this!

Given this outbreak is evolving rapidly, what’s known about the virus could change, so be sure to check the following websites below to stay up-to-date.

GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO): https://www.who.int/healthtopics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1 Take care, stay safe, best wishes & all that Jazz! See you on the flip side? is that a cool thing to say? .. well, see you on the flip side!

Sincerely, Sarah Kassim.