How can people infected with COVID-19 avoid infecting their families while staying at home?

With the adjustment of epidemic prevention and control policies, the focus of epidemic prevention has shifted from infection prevention and control to medical treatment. In the new epidemic prevention and control situation, how can we correctly understand the infection of the Omicron variant? How can we take good precautions to protect vulnerable groups such as the elderly and children? If someone in the family is infected, how can we prevent family members from being infected while at home?

The Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus is not scary. International and domestic monitoring data confirm that the pathogenicity and toxicity of the various branches of Omicron are significantly weaker than those of the original strain and Delta and other variants, but they are highly transmissible, spread quickly, and have a short incubation period. Most of the infections are asymptomatic and mild. Asymptomatic people do not need to seek medical treatment and can be isolated at home; mild cases are generally characterized by upper respiratory tract symptoms such as cough, fever, and sore throat, which may be accompanied by some muscle aches. The symptoms are similar to those of a cold, so there is no need to panic or go to the hospital in large numbers. Just rest at home, avoid fatigue, ensure adequate energy and nutritional intake, and do a good job of self-health monitoring.

But if someone in the family is infected, how can we protect ourselves from infecting family members?

(1) Separate living quarters and belongings;

(2) Wear a mask and ventilate frequently;

(3) Wash your hands frequently and pay attention to proper cleaning and disinfection.

If a family member is infected, if conditions permit, arrange for them to live in a separate room, divide family activities into different areas, and keep daily necessities and facilities separate; wear masks properly, ventilate the house more often, at least half an hour in the morning and afternoon every day; wash hands frequently, pay attention to hand hygiene, and clean and disinfect properly.

Next, we will introduce from the perspective of home - if a family member is infected with the new coronavirus, how to isolate and clean and disinfect the home to reduce the chance of family members being infected.

Separate living spaces and separate belongings 1. Separate living spaces. If conditions permit, arrange separate rooms for infected family members, preferably with separate bathrooms.

(1) Close the door. Let the infected person stay in the contaminated area as much as possible and not go out.

(2) Washing and using the toilet should be done in the bathroom of the isolation room. If the isolation room does not have an independent bathroom, when the infected person needs to use the shared bathroom, he/she must wear an N95 mask in accordance with regulations; try to use it after other family members have used it or at different times; cover the toilet lid and flush the toilet after use; put the garbage in a bag after using the toilet, seal the bag mouth, take protective measures and clean it up in a designated place in time; objects that the infected person has touched (such as door handles, washbasins, toilets and other shared facilities) should be sprayed or wiped with disinfectant after wearing gloves and disinfected, and hand hygiene should be done after disinfection; the bathroom should be ventilated in time for at least 30 minutes; other family members should try to wait for more than half an hour before using it.

(3) Eat separately and do not eat with family members. Eat in the room and do not come into contact with other family members.

2. Keep items separate. The infected person’s room should be equipped with N95 masks (for use when leaving the isolation room to go to the public area), thermometers, disinfectants, trash cans with lids, and other basic epidemic prevention supplies. In addition, the infected person’s daily necessities should not be mixed with those of other family members, including towels, toothbrushes, cups, bowls, chopsticks, spoons, thermometers, shower gel, shampoo, etc.

3. Handover of items. Prepare a small table or chair at the door of the room as a transfer point for the infected person to hand over items to the outside world. Try not to hand over directly face to face.

4. Garbage disposal. The infected person’s household garbage should be packed in double-layer plastic bags, tied tightly, and the outer surface and seal should be sprayed with disinfectant. Then, the cohabitants should wear N95 masks and disposable gloves to put the garbage in the designated location.

Wearing a mask properly, ventilating frequently, wearing a mask properly, and taking good protection are important steps to prevent infection.

When a family member is found to have symptoms such as fatigue, muscle aches, and coughs, the people living with him/her should pay attention to protection, wear masks (preferably KN95/N95-level protective masks, without breathing valves), maintain a safe distance of 1.5 meters, and effectively protect the people around him/her. Instead of waiting until a fever occurs before wearing masks, dividing areas, and taking protective measures.

If the infected person has an independent, closed room, he or she does not need to wear a mask in the room. However, he or she must wear an N95/KN95 mask before leaving the isolation room and going to public areas. Non-infected people living together should also wear masks.

Ventilate frequently. Good ventilation conditions can quickly reduce the concentration and number of viruses in the environment. Each room should be ventilated at least once in the morning and afternoon every day, for more than half an hour each time. After the infected person enters the public space, it should also be ventilated in time. It should also be ventilated in time after using the shared toilet. Note: Before ventilating the room where the infected person lives, close the door of the opposite room first. Put on an N95/KN95 mask before opening the door, and then push it slowly. Be sure to clean and disinfect your hands before and after opening the door.

Wash your hands frequently and pay attention to proper cleaning and disinfection

Wash your hands frequently. Hand hygiene is very important. Whether you are infected or other family members, remember to wash your hands frequently! Even if you wear gloves to handle infected items or disinfect, you still need to perform standard hand hygiene after discarding the gloves. Wearing gloves ≠ hand hygiene, standard hand washing is very important!

Reasonable cleaning and disinfection. Common disinfection products include:

(1) Alcohol disinfectants (such as 75% alcohol): can be used to wipe and disinfect the surface of small objects. Note that 75% alcohol cannot be sprayed into the air for disinfection;

(2) Chlorine-containing disinfectants (such as 84 disinfectant, chlorine-containing disinfectants, etc.): can be used to disinfect the surface of objects. They are highly irritating and must be diluted according to the instructions before use.

(3) Phenols and quaternary ammonium salts: can be used to wipe items and are less irritating.

Generally, you only need to choose one disinfectant based on the characteristics of the items to be disinfected. Do not mix different types of disinfectants. When using disinfectants for disinfection, you need to wear gloves and masks, and the disinfectant should be applied for at least 30 minutes.

Clothes, bed sheets, towels, etc.: Soak in chlorine-containing disinfectant for 30 minutes and then wash.

Plates and tableware: Boil for 30 minutes first. Or soak them in chlorine-containing disinfectant containing 500 mg/L of effective chlorine for 30 minutes and then wash them with clean water.

Other items: Faucets, door handles, switches and other facilities, as well as mobile phones, kettles and other items can be wiped with 75% alcohol wipes; items that can be washed with water can also be wiped with chlorine-containing disinfectant containing 500mg/L of effective chlorine, and then rinsed with clean water. Toilets and surrounding facilities can be wiped and disinfected with chlorine-containing disinfectant containing 2000mg/L of effective chlorine, and then rinsed with clean water. The rags and disinfection buckets used for wiping rooms and toilets should be separated.

Tables, chairs, floors, etc. can be wiped and disinfected with a chlorine-containing disinfectant containing 500 mg/L of effective chlorine.

The isolation room does not require special disinfection during the period. It only needs to be ventilated and the items handed over are disinfected. A thorough disinfection will be carried out after the isolation is over.

What should infected people pay attention to ? (1) If you suspect you are infected, you should keep a distance of more than 1.5 meters from your family members and wear a mask (preferably a KN95/N95 mask);

(2) When coughing or sneezing, it is recommended to cover your mouth with a tissue or elbow. Even in an isolation room, you should pay attention to covering your mouth and nose and observe coughing etiquette;

(3) Used masks, tissues used for coughing, etc. are all considered pollutants and need to be thrown into a covered trash can. The bag mouth must be sealed and disinfected, and protective measures must be taken and the items must be cleaned up in a designated location in a timely manner.

(4) Before taking items out of the isolation room, spray or wipe them with 75% alcohol spray or chlorine-containing disinfectant for disinfection;

(5) Wear an N95/KN95 mask before opening the door of the isolation room;

(6) Stagger the time of handing over items and avoid face-to-face contact with family members.

Prevention "Life lies in exercise!" Exercise can increase immunity, improve cardiopulmonary function, improve sleep, relieve emotional stress, regulate metabolic abnormalities and other benefits. Foreign studies have shown that exercise is closely related to the symptoms of new coronary infection. The more exercise people do, the lower the incidence of severe illness and death; while those who do not exercise often have a higher risk of worsening of their condition. Academician Zhong Nanshan also pointed out: After we are infected with the new coronavirus, whether we get sick is related to the virus content in the body and our own immunity. In order to enhance immunity, you can exercise appropriately.

If you have severe sore throat, muscle aches, cough, or fever, avoid moderate to high intensity exercise within two to three weeks after the symptoms disappear. If you have mild symptoms, you can do low intensity exercise and avoid sitting for long periods of time. Asymptomatic people can continue their original exercise habits. Severe patients can undergo respiratory rehabilitation training.

Although Omicron is highly contagious, doing these protective measures can still greatly reduce family infection, or can stagger infection. During home quarantine, separate items; wear masks, ventilate frequently; clean and disinfect properly, wash hands frequently; and exercise appropriately. Transform epidemic prevention measures into healthy living habits!

Author: Yang Xiaoyan, Wang Lixia

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

Presiding Judge: Du Qing

Vice President of the Chinese Rehabilitation Medicine Association, Chairman of the Science Popularization Working Committee, Director of the Rehabilitation Medicine Department of Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine

Illustration: Li Chuan

The popular science content of this platform has been funded by the China Association for Science and Technology's Science Popularization Department's 2022 National Science Literacy Action Project "National Society Science Popularization Capacity Improvement Project-Rehabilitation Science Popularization Service Capacity Improvement Action Plan"