All Thammasat University students, faculty, and staff are aware of the TU COVID-19 Prevention Guidelines as well as other Ministry of Health advice about how to remain healthy during a challenging time.  Viruses such as COVID-19 can be of interest not just to TU students of the Faculty of Public Health, but also to students who are interested in economics, sociology, political science, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) studies, and many other related topics. The TU Library owns many books about the timely subject of different aspects of virus research.

International perspective 

One way to compare the response to COVID-19 in different nations is to look at advice posted on official government healthcare websites by national health agencies. For example, the  United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), the publicly funded healthcare system in England, and one of the four National Health Service systems in the United Kingdom. It is the largest single-payer healthcare system in the world. Primarily funded by the government from general taxation, and overseen by the Department of Health and Social Care, the NHS provides healthcare to all legal English residents, with most services free at the point of use. Some services, such as emergency treatment and treatment of infectious diseases, are free for everyone, including visitors.

On its website, the NHS offers some protective advice about avoiding COVID-19 that most TU students may already be familiar with:

• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• always wash your hands when you get home or into work
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
• avoid close contact with people who have symptoms of coronavirus
• only travel on public transport if you need to work from home, if you can
• avoid social activities, such as going to pubs, restaurants, theatres and cinemas
• avoid events with large groups of people
• use phone, online services, or apps to contact your GP surgery or other NHS services

The NHS also recommends some things no one should do during the pandemic:

• do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean
• do not have visitors to your home, including friends and family

The American approach

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the leading national public health institute of the United States. It is also a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its main goal is to protect public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability in the US and internationally. The CDC focuses national attention on developing and applying disease control and prevention. It especially focuses its attention on infectious disease, food borne pathogens, environmental health, occupational safety and health, health promotion, injury prevention and educational activities designed to improve the health of United States citizens.

The CDC website also suggests policies similar to that of the NHS:

Clean your hands often

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

It also suggests:

Take steps to protect others

• Stay home if you’re sick
• Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care. Learn what to do if you are sick.

Cover coughs and sneezes

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
• Throw used tissues in the trash.
• Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Wear a facemask if you are sick

• If you are sick: You should wear a facemask when you are around other people (e.g., sharing a room or vehicle) and before you enter a healthcare provider’s office. If you are not able to wear a facemask (for example, because it causes trouble breathing), then you should do your best to cover your coughs and sneezes, and people who are caring for you should wear a facemask if they enter your room. Learn what to do if you are sick.
• If you are NOT sick: You do not need to wear a facemask unless you are caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a facemask). Facemasks may be in short supply and they should be saved for caregivers.

Clean and disinfect

• Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
• If surfaces are dirty, clean them: Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.

Still another example of high-level medical research being presented to the world about this current issue is the Australian Government Department of Health. 

The Department of Health of the Government of Australia is charged with overseeing the running of Australia’s health system, including supporting universal and affordable access to medical, pharmaceutical and hospital services, as well as helping people to stay healthy through health promotion, participation and exercise and other disease prevention activities. Its advice also agrees with the opinions of doctors from the NHS and CDC:

Protect yourself and others

• To help reduce the spread and protect those who are most at risk, it is important that you take the recommended steps to protect yourself and others.
• To prevent the spread of viruses, practise good hygiene and social distancing.
• You should also follow our advice for travellers and advice for public gatherings and visits to vulnerable groups.

Good hygiene

• Everyone must practise good hygiene to protect against infection and prevent the virus spreading.

Good hygiene includes:

• covering your coughs and sneezes with your elbow or a tissue
• disposing of tissues properly
• washing your hands often with soap and water, including before and after eating and after going to the toilet
• using alcohol-based hand sanitisers
• cleaning and disinfecting surfaces
• if you are sick, avoiding contact with others and staying more than 1.5 metres away from people
• cleaning and sanitising frequently used objects such as mobiles, keys and wallets
• If you have a confirmed case, you need to self-isolate to prevent it spreading to other people.

Surgical masks

• Surgical masks in the community are only helpful in preventing people who have coronavirus disease from spreading it to others.
• If you are well, you do not need to wear a surgical mask. There is little evidence that widespread use of surgical masks in healthy people prevents transmission in public.

Vaccination

• There is no vaccine for COVID-19, but there is one for the flu.
• You should get your flu shot when it’s available. Getting the flu and COVID-19 at the same time can make you very ill.
• Scientists from around the world are working on developing a vaccine. The World Health Organisation believes this may be available within 18 months.

Social distancing

• One way to slow the spread of viruses is social distancing. There are practical things you can do, to protect those more susceptible to the virus.

Households

• Practice good hand and cough/sneeze hygiene
• Avoid handshaking and other physical greetings
• Regularly clean shared high-touch surfaces, such as tables, kitchen benches and doorknobs
• Increase the amount of fresh air by opening windows or adjusting air conditioning
• Buy more goods and services online so you limit visits to the shop
• Consider what travel and outings are necessary, both individual and family, and go to open places such as parks
• Social distancing in the workplace
• To reduce the spread of germs in the workplace:
• Stay at home if you are sick
• Consider if large gatherings can be rescheduled, staggered or cancelled
• Stop handshaking and other physical greetings
• Hold meetings via video conferencing or phone call
• Reconsider non-essential business travel
• Defer large face-to-face meetings
• Hold essential meetings outside in the open air if possible
• Promote good hand and cough/sneeze hygiene and provide hand sanitisers for all staff and workers
• Take lunch outside rather than in the lunch room
• Clean and disinfect shared high-touch surfaces regularly
• Consider opening windows and adjusting air conditioning for more fresh air
• Limit food handling and shared food in the workplace
• Promote strictest hygiene among food preparation (canteen) staff and their close contacts

Social distancing in schools

• To reduce the spread of germs or viruses in schools:
• If your child is sick, do not send them to school (or childcare)
• Clean hands when entering school and at regular intervals
• Defer activities that lead to mixing between classes and years
• Avoid queuing, handholding and assemblies
• Promote a regular handwashing schedule
• Clean and disinfect shared high-touch surfaces regularly
• Conduct lessons outdoors where possible
• Consider opening windows and adjusting conditioning for more fresh air
• Promote strictest hygiene among food preparation (canteen) staff and their close contacts

Still more up to date information is on the website of the World Health Organization (WHO).

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)