Will COVID-19 Ever End?

At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, many hoped that it will disappear and all activities will go back to normal. Many theories were put forward as to how and when the pandemic will end. Some argue that the heat of the dry season or summer will end the pandemic on its own. Others argue that the pandemic will end once herd immunity is achieved. However, none of these theories has come true.

Various efforts have been made by the government to reduce the level of community infection of the coronavirus, such as using masks, washing hands for 20 seconds, social distancing, and even large-scale social restriction or lockdowns, which they have proven to help in “flattening the curve” and reducing the number of COVID-19 cases locally, as well as in many other countries.

After months of living under this stressful condition, it seems that there is light at the end of the tunnel as hope for a vaccine is beginning to materialise. However, experts have cautioned that even with a vaccine that is soon to be finalised and with the better handling and treatment of those infected, COVID-19 is unlikely to fully disappear. While even if COVID-19 is no longer a pandemic, it will still be endemic, which means that infection rates are expected to slow down but will continue to exist.

Throughout the history of pandemics, pandemic diseases have rarely disappeared completely. Whether it’s bacteria, viruses or parasites, nearly every disease pathogen that has invaded us over the past several thousand years is still with us because it is almost impossible to completely eradicate them.

While the current infection and transmission rates are still high, people around the world have started to resist lockdowns and restrictions. In result, their mental, emotional, and economic health are majorly impacted. Thus, the risk level for someone to

contract COVID-19 is probably higher than before, due to a combination of high levels of mobility and the lack in social distancing due to lockdown fatigue. Whereas previously when we carried out social restriction or were #dirumahsaja, the risk level of contracting COVID-19 was drastically reduced. However, that no longer applies when we transition to the new normal.

Recently, The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that if someone at home has COVID-19, there is a 50 percent chance that other family members will also be infected within just five days. This shows that the risk level of contracting COVID-19 both outside and inside the house is very high.

Along with increasing activities outside the house and the higher risk of COVID-19, air pollution also returns to pre-pandemic unhealthy levels. This means we have two serious problems related to air quality, namely airborne viruses that can potentially infect us with COVID-19 and air pollution that causes many other health problems. Consequently, the need for keeping the air clean – free of bacteria, viruses and pollutants – is more critical than ever before. Some of the steps we can take to overcome the problems are by

exercising to keep fit and enhance our immune system, sanitising and keeping the house clean, and also keeping good personal hygiene by using masks, washing hands, and maintaining a safe distance. In the context of indoors, having good ventilation is important. The function of ventilation is to circulate air from outside into the room and vice versa so that there is a constant supply of fresh air for healthy breathing. Good ventilation is crucial to reduce the concentration of airborne virus indoors.

If you are unable to ventilate properly due to high pollution outside, security issue or pest problem (mosquito, flies, etc.), then having an air purifier with high Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) can be one of your options to reduce the number of viruses and bacteria indoors.

Blueair, an air purifier from Sweden, has been proven effective in filtering and deactivating bacteria and viruses so it is the right choice to meet the needs of clean and healthy air in your house.

This article is written by Higienis Indonesia, a specialist in quality health and hygienic solutions. Its air care products include Blueair, an awardwinning air purifier brand from Sweden that combines superior clean air performance with low energy and low noise consumption.

Visit www.higienis.com, www.blueair. com/id or call (021) 3983-5295 for further information and advice.