COVID-19: advice from a pharmacist and traveling mother

Thus, the issue of isolation is no longer relevant: isolation is voluntary for all, but mandatory for all public service employees and for all health, education and childcare personnel, private and public, returning from abroad on or after March 12, 2020.

For anyone going into isolation, remember that you must not:

• use public transport
• go out in public
• welcome visitors to your home

The people most at risk for complications are:

• immunocompromised people
• people with chronic diseases
• the elderly

• Wash your hands for 20 seconds, ideally with soap or a hydro-alcoholic solution, and as frequently as possible to kill any virus that may be present.
• Avoid putting your hands on your face (eyes, nose, mouth).
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow rather than into the air, or into your hands, or into a tissue that will be thrown immediately into a trash can.
• Wear a mask only if you are ill and do not exacerbate the current shortage of personal protective equipment needed by health care professionals.
• Wash doorknobs, kitchen countertops, bathroom countertops, remote controls, keyboards, telephones and other appliances, and any other areas that may have been touched more frequently at home. Remember to clean the handles and steering wheel of your car.
• Taking a hot bath is a common misconception that won’t protect you from the virus!

• If you experience symptoms such as a cough or fever, call 1-877-644-4545 and the hospital will be notified. The line is very busy, so do not call for information about the virus. Hydrate regularly, gargle and clean your nose to clear your airways if necessary, and ask your pharmacist for advice on which behind-the-counter treatment would be right for you.
• Come to the clinic only if you have an appointment and go to the emergency room if you have breathing difficulties. Consider the potential for contamination of other people.
• Renew your prescriptions by phone as much as possible. Your pharmacist can offer you a delivery service so you don’t have to go anywhere, the delivery people have clear procedures to follow. Storing more could lead to a risk of stock-outs that could be dangerous for some patients!
• If your prescriptions have expired, call your pharmacist first to see if an extension might be allowed in your case rather than going to your doctor.
• Do not use antibiotics (which have no effect on viruses) or self-medicated anti-inflammatory drugs if you suspect a COVID-19 infection or other respiratory virosis, as this could lead to serious complications, unless recommended by your doctor or pharmacist.
• The Collège des médecins and the Ordre des pharmaciens have relaxed certain rules since March 16:
  • Pharmacists in Quebec will be able to extend prescriptions for periods that go beyond the statutory periods.
  • They will also be able to prescribe drugs for all minor conditions with a four-year interval between the initial diagnosis by the physician and the prescription by the pharmacist.
  • Finally, the pharmacist will no longer be obliged to provide a physician with information regarding the extension, adjustment or substitution of a drug unless a physician requests it.

• Pay with a credit card, contactless, as much as possible in order to limit the exchange of money from hand to hand.
• Shop online for groceries so you can have what you need at home. No reason to overstock.
• Make sure the elders you know have everything they need at home and call them regularly to check in on them, being more isolated.
• Limit family and business travel and gatherings as much as possible. Birthdays and other holidays will have to wait.
• Use disinfectant wipes to disinfect any potentially contaminated objects, surfaces or areas.
• Favour teleworking
• Use telephone or video conferencing rather than outside appointments.
• Avoid handshakes or hugs and wave or nod.
• Avoid close contact with people other than your family, or keep at least 1 metre away from a person if they show flu-like symptoms (cough, fever or sneezing).
• In pharmacies, clinics and other practices, avoid touching magazines if they are present.

• If you become ill while travelling, consult a doctor promptly and indicate the trips you have taken.
• If you have to fly and you have symptoms, inform the crew to see how you might be isolated. Don’t hide your symptoms.
• In hotels, wash your hands after using an elevator, touching a handle, a counter or buffet cutlery.
• Try to put your hands on surfaces as little as possible and clean them beforehand with suitable antiseptic wipes if necessary.
• Avoid air-conditioned areas so as not to get sick.
• Avoid crowds and crowded tourist areas
• The virus can also be transmitted in hot and humid climates! Travelling south will therefore not protect you from becoming infected. If there are fewer apparent cases in the countries around Ecuador, it is probably because there is less testing!

It is difficult to make young children aware of the serious health problem we are stuck in. We see it every day with our children. They LOVE to put their hands everywhere, roll around on the floor, put everything in their mouths, pick up lost and found.

It is your duty as parents to explain them why hygiene is all the more important now since we will have to follow the routine several times a day. And you are their role models: show them the right habits to adopt so that they imitate you.

Some ideas and recommendations :

• When you wash your hands, remember to ask them to come with you to wash theirs. If you have a baby or young child, clean their face regularly.
• Try to wash their hands before/after meals, outings and games in their room.
• Try to wash the most frequently used games regularly, as well as gloves and mittens.
• Make them aware of bacteria and viruses, with books to read on the subject, arts and crafts and colouring activities. There are lots of ideas on educatout.com.
• Why not print a child-friendly reminder to clean their hands to hang in the bathroom?
• Involve them in cleaning tasks in an appropriate manner. What kid has never wanted to hold a broom or a vacuum cleaner?
• Clean fruits and vegetables together and explain why.
• Make a game of it by asking them to walk around with their hands folded behind their backs.
• Avoid outdoor areas where you might meet the children’s friends: they will want to play together.
• When travelling, keep their hands busy, if you are outside: a banana to hold, a game so they can’t touch other surfaces directly.
• Finally, if you can, buy a new game: it will keep them busy at home! That’s what we did in Singapore before returning to Montreal:

Countries are going to have to show a lot of prowess in order to demonstrate their ability to manage the crisis. But once this virus has passed, we will have to face the tolls, which may not be pretty to see. The stock markets have collapsed and are still falling. How many companies are going to have to revise their targets and lay off people? A recession may be coming, what do we know? Nothing.

Phew, I can’t even begin to imagine… there might be a real upheaval in the working world to get the machines going again. This virus messes with some people’s minds that nothing is safe.

Evil for good? This will cause travellers to review both their travel plans and how they book trips.

It’s certain that many more travelers will consider choosing a credit card that offers excellent insurance and will no longer book off-site. How many travellers have been caught by a ball being passed back and forth between different intermediaries (online travel agencies/airlines) after shopping for their plane tickets on a discount airline?

Or others will now prefer to go through a travel agent to benefit from the coverage offered in Quebec.

In the end, perhaps this crisis will lead us to visit destinations closer to home.

Moreover, nothing says that a rebound is not to be expected. Once everyone’s quarantines are over, who says the curve couldn’t get back to a more alarming situation? A crisis has passed but there is still a long way to go to learn more about this virus, its origin, prevention and treatment, with the concern that a new crisis could start again next year or even earlier.

We see it every day, isolation is not easy for thousands of people, but some get creative to overcome loneliness or lack of outdoor activities. Take example and take advantage of this time to tackle your list of to-do’s!

We’re checking in on you in the Facebook group.

For more information on COVID-19 , see the updated report: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html

Let us reflect on this crisis and fight together so that we can get back to our pre-crisis routines quickly.