4 Common COVID Mistakes People Make

The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 first started showing its effect on our country way back in March 2020. Since then, we’ve been directed and advised on changes to our behaviour in public as well as at home. Using the best available data at each time, the government and medical community has tried to keep our people safe as a whole by giving us certain instructions.

However, with India being under the influence of the pandemic for so long, many people have let their guards down, started ignoring instructions and making mistakes. It is most likely due to the fact that the pandemic has been raging for so long that people have grown lethargic, but also many people still haven’t seen first-hand the effects of the virus. Here are a few things to avoid so you can be a responsible member of society and do your part to keep everyone safe:

1. Not Getting Vaccinated:

 In the early days, it was logical and understandable that many people were hesitant since the vaccination was new, not very much was known about its effects and whether it actually worked. However, millions have been vaccinated now and the vaccine has proven to be both safe and effective, there’s really no excuse to avoid vaccination if you are able to get it. Get yourself registered and vaccinated as soon as you can so that we as a country and society can move forward once again!

2. Not Following Protocols After Vaccination:

Many people assume that getting vaccinated means you’re free to ignore all the usual Covid-19 protocols such as wearing a mask, maintaining social distance and regular hand washing. The fact is, the vaccine doesn’t kick in immediately after you get your first shot and you’re not fully protected against Covid-19 till you get your second shot. Apart from that, you still need to wear a mask, social distance and wash your hands as there are several new variants of the virus going around the country which you might not be protected against, even if you are vaccinated. Lastly, you might be a carrier of the virus (such as on your clothes or hands) hence everyone needs to ensure that they protect others from that.

3. Not Wearing Masks With Close Friends and Relatives:

Usually, the reason people use flouting mask rules with close friends and family is that they're not going to get Covid-19 from such people. However, we have no way of knowing where the people we interact with have been. They themselves might not be aware that they ran into someone with the virus. The only people you should interact mask-free with are the immediate family you live with.

4. Thoughtlessly Forwarding Images and Posts

• Misinformation from social media has played a large part in many false ideas and ‘facts’ about the entire Covid-19 situation. The Press Information Bureau, the Government, the medical community and even the WHO have had to make many official statements against misinformation that is being spread online.
• While sometimes the culprit who initiated the misinformation was simply mistaken, others intentionally create misinformation for personal benefit (such as selling “cheap and easy” cures for the virus) and still others create false information simply to cause chaos and harm to the general public.
• However, we all are culprits in this chain of false information being spread: every time you forward a post, an image or a text post on social media or on messaging apps without checking the truth. In this way, we are contributing to wrong, harmful and dangerous misinformation being passed around.
• You might think, “But how can I be helpful to others if I’m not able to forward helpful information?”. The fix is quite simple, all you need to do is a quick google search whenever you see any forwards and check whether the claims are valid.
• Always check to see what official sources (the government, medical community, the ICMR, the WHO) are saying about any new information.  If the information is helpful and true you can feel free to forward it. If it is wrong, you can point it out and correct false information. This way you can fight back against wrong information.

Conclusion

If people get lazy and relaxed, the virus is ready and waiting to bring our country back down again quickly. We need to be alert, vigilant and continue following the Covid-19 protocols, and everyone who can get vaccinated should get vaccinated. You can do your part and spread the word by sharing this article with your friends and family. Remember, the better we all cooperate during these trying times, the sooner we can all get out of this pandemic. If we all do our part and avoid these common mistakes, we will keep ourselves and others safe and reach the end together.

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