Dear Dr Miriam, what are the underlying conditions leading to so man deaths?
engage with your online friends. Make sure you’re eating a healthy diet, not too much coffee, no alcohol – and get a good night’s sleep.
IS delaying the spread the best policy? Won’t it just prolong people’s anxiety?
Ian Mussett (right)
Delaying the spread is the strategy to take pressure off the NHS. There are downsides and you describe one of them. I don’t think anyone will relax until we hit a peak of some sort.
As it happens, it might not be possible to delay the spread. The Government may have acted too late with restrictive measures. To my mind, we should be going further, as they are in France and Spain, with almost total lockdown. It worked in Wuhan and South Korea. Why aren’t we doing it?
I’M 65 with type 2 diabetes and on insulin. I’ve had an aorta valve change
Write, with a daytime number, to features@mirror.co.uk or to Features Desk, Daily Mirror, One Canada Square, London, E14 5AP. Mark it Dr Miriam/coronavirus. and I’m on blood thinners. I have high blood pressure too. I’m due to look after my granddaughter if her school closes but would that be wise?
Alan Bebb, Runcorn, Cheshire
With all your medical complaints, you’re vulnerable. I think you should be selfisolating, only going out to shop for food or get your medication. I don’t think it is a good idea to look after your granddaughter, she’ll probably be OK but she might carry the virus to you. The latest advice is not to even meet up with your family.
MY wife and I are in our 70s and she has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We have a holiday booked for June 20. I have paid a deposit and need to pay the balance in April to keep the holiday. Should I?
Graham Newnes, Rutland
I don’t think so. The Government’s guidelines say because of your age, you and your wife fall into the vulnerable category – especially as she suffers from COPD. This means you should selfisolate, not travel and not mix with other people, like eating out in cafés and restaurants. It’s a shame but I think you’ll have to lose your deposit.
I’M 78 and my wife is 68 and she is susceptible to pneumonia. We’ve recently moved and don’t have any friends or relatives close by. In the case of self-isolating, we’ll have no one to help. What should we do?
Roger Baber, Bideford, Devon
You could stay in touch by phone, Skype, WhatsApp and social media. By doing this you speak to someone every day. You can also keep your family and friends alert to feeling unwell and they can help you get support.
You or your family could phone the local council to see if there’s a service that would do your shopping. I know it’s hard because a lot of us are going to feel bereft in the coming months but we just have to do what we can.
WHAT’S the best way to help your immune system cope with the virus?
Ray Baguely (below), 82, Newport
There’s nothing you can do from the outside to boost your immune system. The only way would be to have a vaccination so your immune system produced antibodies specifically against coronavirus. Exposure to the virus could stimulate your immune system to produce those antibodies itself.
WITH over-70s spending more time at home, will those without access to a garden be advised to take vitamin D?
Linda Rachel, 71, Ipswich
With so little sunshine during the winter, people in the older age group are already advised to take 10mcg of vitamin D every day in the autumn and winter months. For people confined to their homes it’s even more important to follow this advice.
yNOT touching our faces is one of the crucial ways we can stop the spread of coronavirus. One study found that adults touched their eyes, nose or lips between 10 and 45 times an hour while performing office-type tasks. But how can we stop?
■ Keep a tissue in your hand, or up your sleeve, to act as a barrier between your hand and face.
■ Rub eyes or noses with the back of your wrist or arm instead of your fingers. ■ Ask friends, family or coworkers to say “face” every time you start to touch your face. Such reinforcement may act as an intervention in itself.
■ Keep hands in pockets, hold hands together, or fold arms in a “locked” way such as grasping the opposing bicep.
■ Create even minor physical barriers between your hands and face. Wearing sunglasses or glasses rather than contact lenses may be helpful. ■ If you’re a nail biter, try alternative behaviours like finger drumming or playing with a fidget toy. ■ Teach yourself small new mantras and regimes. There is strong evidence that using “if-then” plans helps these tactics become the new habits over time.
■ Tell yourself: “If I am looking at my phone, I will put my other hand in my pocket”. Or: “If I sit down in a meeting, I will lock my arms”.
MY daughter is in her 30s and expecting her first baby mid-May. She is terrified of there not being a bed available when she goes into labour. How can I reassure her on this?
Wendy from Cardiff
We can’t predict how the NHS might decide to reallocate hospital beds to accommodate patients with Covid-19. But I think the last beds commandeered would be maternity beds. Maternity wards are likely to be exempt from being used for coronavirus patients.
Another way to think of it is women have been giving birth at home for millennia and I’m sure your daughter is strong enough to face up to that. Were she living in the Netherlands, and if her pregnancy is healthy and normal, she would automatically have a home birth.
To strengthen her resolve, I suggest she reads up on hypnobirthing, which imbues a woman with confidence about the strength and resilience of her body and her ability to take birth in her stride.