Coronavirus new strain: 4 ways to minimize your risk of infection right now and stay protected

The new COVID strain is majorly spreading across the world, causing fears and worries.

There's more than one reason to be afraid- the new strains can be highly infectious, spread easily and even attack the ones who weren't considered to face a higher risk before in a serious manner.

There are also studies that say that the new strains also raise the risk of reinfection. All this, as over 5 states in India experience a scary resurgence of cases and tough lockdowns.

Given the circumstances, it has become doubly important to stay safe and not let the guard off to keep COVID-19 away.

We tell you the best preventive practices and the best ways to safeguard yourselves as the pandemic number rise across the country.

Scientists haven't yet reached to a conclusion as to how severe or deadly the new virus mutations are.

Viruses, by nature, are also said to mutate as they evolve. However, the manner in which the COVID-19 is spreading should be the single biggest cause to worry about right now.

By now, a year into the pandemic which struck the world, we do know of the simple, lax measures which contribute to the spread. The virus can also surge when people become complacent and restrictions fail to work.

We must also remember that COVID-19 is not just temporary, but as many epidemiologists have pointed out, a virus that stays with us for many, many years.

Even with a vaccine, it can take a long while to vaccinate millions at risk. Therefore, safety measures will still need to be put in place, if we don't wish for past efforts to go in vain.

We list out some measures which people, especially the ones who face a high risk do need to follow right now.

Wearing two masks isn't neccessary. But as recent studies have highlighted, it is a good measure to cut down your risk of catching the infection, especially if you are exposing yourself to the contagion in a high-risk place.

If you happen to visit a place that is crowded, putting on one mask over the other can be better than wearing a flimsy one.

Mask-wearing is super important at a time when cases are fast rising and a lot of people have slipped off their guards. If you cannot wear two masks, do remember to use a mask that has two or three layers in it. We explain to you some of the other benefits of double masking, and the ones who should try the trend here.

It also remains important to check the type, quality and fit of the mask when you are going out. Wear a snugly fitted mask, which secures your nose, mouth well and disallows germ entry. Using mask braces, ties can also be helpful.

As we have seen before, practising good hand hygiene and disinfecting surroundings frequently can be the simple biggest win against the pandemic.

While coronavirus can stay on some surfaces for days and weeks at a stretch, good handwashing/ sanitizing can wipe off germs after your exposure to a high-risk place and cut down your risk of infection. Washing hands frequently, for at least 30 seconds is also important if you indulge in any risky activity. Touching eyes, nose, mouth with dirty hands also exposes you to dangers of spread.

If hand washing isn't available, use a good quality hand sanitiser which has 60 per cent alcohol content in it. Remember to minimize your risk of contact when you go out as even the smallest dose can transmit the virus. Adequate hand hygiene, disinfection, social distancing still remain to be the best forms of vaccines against the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Vaccines are an important tool that will help the world in preventing a repeat surge of the virus. It will also help achieve herd immunity closer, and even cut down the severity of the infection.

Therefore, it's important that vaccine hesitancy rates are done away with, and everybody gets vaccinated as soon as it's made available.

Right now, vaccination drives are being carried out in a phased manner. Unfortunately, it has also been marred by demographic inequalities right now. For COVID-19 to fully go away, vaccinating everyone who faces active risk is important, on a community level.

New researches have also shown that the vaccines we do have, can work to an extent in minimizing the threats caused by the new discovered COVID strains.

If you are in a position right now to get vaccinated, do get the vaccine. Or, else, wait till you become eligible.

What we must all remember is that getting a vaccine right now is safer than battling the infection, which can also cause potential problems. This is the only way we can minimize our risk of infection from the COVID strains, old or new.

COVID fatigue has weighed down heavily on all of us.

It's not possible to practice or enforce total social isolation right now. What experts suggest, as an alternative is to rethink, and reduce the size of your social bubble- the ones you come in frequent contact with, the ones you get exposed to on a regular basis. Remember, each person you would meet outside your bubble would fuel your risk of catching COVID-19 and may even make contact tracing difficult.

Social distancing norms should also be followed wisely, whenever you do go out or leave your safe space. Small gatherings, crowd restrictions, preventive rules should be followed during engagements.

Experts also feel that a lot of school and work settings should be reanalyzed right now since a lot of new infections are picking up from classrooms and work environments.