Everyone knows infection comes from other people. Imagine you were going to become infected at some point over wave of infections in next 4 months. This might happen due to one of, say, 1000 interactions each day with people and things other people have touched/ coughed on.
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But infection is not inevitable. If you distance yourself with thought- work from home when you can, avoid gatherings/public transport unless you really need/want to go- you can reduce your contacts to, say 500 a day. This will, very crudely, halve your risk of infection.
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The hardest contact to distance yourself from- and so, rather cruelly, the biggest risk to you- is from those closest to you, in your own family/house. So you really need them to do the same. Flip side of same is that they are the people who benefit most from what you do yourself
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[By extension, if you can (I know most can’t), consider distancing in your own housing. A share house with 6 people, 5 of whom want to keep going to nightclubs, isn’t going to be safest place in next few months. Non-crowded accom with others sharing distancing approach safest]
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Those in high risk groups will already be well aware. The next most important group, who can help most by doing these things, are the families/ close contacts of people in risk groups.
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I keep being asked: is there any point? Won’t I inevitably get it in the end? Answer is no, for two reasons: 1. Better technology to control this (diagnostics, contact tracing, vaccines) is coming. In my opinion, soon.
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2. Even with no new tech, infection will subside once a proportion of population have had it and become immune. Other people’s exposure creates herd immunity, stopping transmission- bad for them, not meant to sound callous, but good for you. The wave will pass.
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No flu pandemic has infected everyone in anything like first wave. If you’re not in that wave, that’s good for you & your contacts.
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Think about your & your family’s daily routines & plans for the week. Ask yourself: how can I reduce my contact with other people at minimum disruption to my life? Challenge yourself to reduce by 50%. It will have a real impact for you and those you love.
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If you happen to be a manager or policymaker, same applies. Ask ‘how can I reduce my people’s contact with each other, with minimum impact on business/society?’ Get creative. Learn from others. It will really help. Huge opportunity to do good- but needs to be done immediately.
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