COVID-19: Tracy's Guide for Families

Washington, DC (June 14, 2020) – The Organizing Committee of “Creativity against COVID-19” Young Creative Artists Contest announced today to extend the deadline of the artwork submission to June 30, 2020 (Tuesday). The “Creativity against COVID-19” Contest is a COVID-19 public health education program co-hosted by UCA, Chinese American Engineers and Scientists Association of Southern Californian (CESASC) and Xing Memorial Fund (XMF). The contest opens to K-12 students age from 6 to 18. Team is encouraged. Artwork must be in the forms of picture, video, animation or other multi-media format with a story based on the content from “ COVID-19: Tracy’s Guide for Families ”. It should be posted online on social media and is viewable to the public. Participants should submit the URL of the artwork to us by the end of June 30, 2020 (Tuesday) at: https://forms.gle/4H1NJbcYWUNv5pGe9 . The artworks submitted will be reviewed by a selection committee appointed by the organizers in four categ...

Q: I’m a healthcare worker who needs to travel between home and the hospital every day. What should I pay attention to? 💁 Tracy: The most important things to think about are 3 zones: Zone 1 - high risk area: How to protect yourself at work, especially if you have to interact with infected patients or work in high risk areas; Zone 2 - at home or other public places: How to protect your family, friends, and others who you may have to interact with, including the public; Zone 3 - in between home and work: How to protect yourself and others during your travel, and use your vehicle as a transition zone to achieve the above two goals. The following are some of the practical considerations for healthcare workers, in addition to workplace guidelines, official guidelines provided by CDC and governmental agencies, and other public sources such as professional associations. Zone 1 at work: Protect yourself with proper PPEs that are used at your work setting, and,  Do due dili...

Q: How to minimize the risk of infection in large social gatherings during the COVID pandemics? 💁 Tracy: In the COVID pandemics, social gatherings present a very challenging situation and a real increased risk of infection, especially if there is a large crowd of people. This risk is greatly heightened if:  a large number of people do not wear masks or practice good hygiene; in very confined space, especially indoors; in very crowded settings, especially if social distancing cannot be maintained; in very emotional situations that are difficult to predict or contain the outcome (such as funerals or large parties); if many people will be singing, chanting, or talking loudly, such as in large rallies, protests, marches, etc. Please read carefully CDC's guideline on mass gathering, and how to plan and prepare such events. Minimize such events unless absolutely needed. If you want to attend such events, please weigh in your benefits versus risks very carefully. Every...

Q: How should we practice social distancing? 💁 Tracy: In areas with a high prevalence of cases, keeping social distance means avoiding going to risky areas and stay close to other people. According to current scientific research, proper social distance is more than 1.5 meters, preferably 2 meters. This should effectively prevent the risk brought by a spread of droplets from person to person. This refers to the distance when both people are standing still face-to-face or in line. Certain situations may make the needed social distancing even further, such as when people talk loudly without masks, cough or sneeze, with AC or wind blowing. Please use common sense to decide what's the best way to maintain a safe distance and reduce your risk of exposure. When running, as the amount of exhaled air and droplets increases greatly, the runner behind would better keep a distance of more than 10 meters from the runner in front. On windy days, the runners should enlarge this distanc...

Q: How can I protect myself during the pandemic if I have to use a wheelchair?  💁 Tracy: COVID-19 can live up to several days on hard surfaces including wheelchair handles. Therefore, washing hands frequently is incredibly important. Slip-proof gloves are recommended for operating the wheelchair. The virus may exist on any part of a wheelchair, so please clean the wheelchair each time you return home. Wear masks and gloves when you go outside. Park yourself and stay in a well ventilated area. Have a washcloth that is only used for cleaning the wheelchair. First spray the disinfectant on the wheels, and then wipe the armrest and hand wheel with the washcloth soaked with disinfectant. If you use an electric wheelchair, disinfect the joystick, controller, and any other parts that people come in frequent contact with. Wash your hands after removing gloves. Disinfect the floor at home frequently, especially right after you return home. Don't forget to wash your hands ...

💁 Tracy's Tips for maintaining and improving mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic Warning: this article is very long and contain materials on different topics. Please take it in slowly and separate in different chunks. During the pandemic, mental health may be affected in many ways. Psychological symptoms usually include: nervousness, anxiety, worry, fear, helplessness, being overwhelmed, depression, worry, anger, panic, mania, guilt, or feeling of being treated unfairly due to discrimination against certain group of people. Physiological symptoms usually include: headaches, stomachaches, loss of appetite, insomnia, nightmares, continuously feeling like crying, shortness of breath, heart palpitations (fast heartbeat), fatigue, general weakness, discomfort, etc. Everyone experiences some degree of these stresses, in their own unique way. Biological and social-economic factors all have an impact on your own particular experiences. Regardless of these factors, ...