Bom dia, amigos leitores! Good morning, my beloved readers! Como estão se sentindo? How are you feeling? A new virus se espalhou (spread over) the territory of China and quickly atingiu (reached) several continents. The coronavirus has taken the proportions of a pandemia (pandemic), that is, of a global epidemic, as since January more than oitenta mil (80.000 cases) have been diagnosed and two thousand and seven hundred people have died worldwide. It has affected not only people’s physical and psychological saúde (health), but also the economia mundial (world economy). On Shrove Tuesday, a symbolic date for all Brazilians, the country had a coronavirus case confirmation, the first in all of Latin America. As of now, only três casos (3 cases) have been confirmed in Brazil. With this debate in mind, today’s article will be dedicated to some medidas preventivas (safety measures) that must be taken to avoid contamination of the coronavirus in Portuguese. That way, you stay safe and still practice the language!

Talking about coronavirus in Portuguese (Image by Matt from Pixabay)

Studies show that, despite the alarm that the COVID-19 has been causing worldwide, its lethality is quite low. The WHO (World Health Organization) noted that, despite its quick contagion, a taxa de morte (the death rate) caused by this new virus ranges from around 3% in people under 60 and 8.8% in people over this age group. Still, about 80% of those infected se recuperam (recover) without any special treatment. With sintomas da gripe (flu-like symptoms), such as tosse seca (dry cough), febre (fever) and cansaço (tiredness) in some cases the person may also suffer from body aches, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, diarrhea or difficulty breathing. Its transmission is very similar to that of other respiratory viruses, through coughing and espirros (sneezing). Some of the prevention tips may seem quite simple, but the effectiveness has been confirmed by many health professionals who are leading the fight against the coronavirus. Vamos nos prevenir?

PROCURE SE INFORMAR SOBRE O VÍRUS EM FONTES CONFIÁVEIS | LOOK FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE VIRUS ON RELIABLE SOURCES 

• Como a propagação do vírus tem sido bastante alta é importante ficar atento aos sintomas da doença! Mas antes de qualquer coisa, a dica que muitos especialistas dão é buscar informações de credibilidade, para você não ser alvo de fake news ou informes alarmistas, que apenas podem nos deixar em pânico. 
• As the virus spread has been quite high, it is important to watch out for the disease symptoms! But first of all, the advice offered by many experts give is to search for trustworthy information, so you won’t be the target of fake news or alarming reports, which can only cause panic.

NÃO SE ASSUSTE COM O NÚMERO DE INFECTADOS | DO NOT PUT OFF BY THE NUMBER OF INFECTED

• Por mais que hajam mais de 80 mil pessoas infectadas e 2700 mortos no mundo, é importante observar que só a gripe atinge anualmente mais de 200 mil, além de causar a morte de mais de 35 mil pessoas, isso somente nos Estados Unidos. 
• Although there are over 80 thousand infected and 2700 dead, it is important to note that the flu itself affects more than 200 thousand annually, in addition to causing the death of more than 35 thousand people, and this the United States alone.

HIGIENE É MUITO IMPORTANTE, POR ISSO NÃO SE ESQUEÇA DE SEMPRE LAVAR AS MÃOS | HYGIENE IS VERY IMPORTANT, SO DON’T FORGET TO ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS

• Dentre as recomendações da WHO, está incluso os bons hábitos de higiene. Por isso não se esqueça de lavar bem as mãos, evitar contato constante com os olhos e boca, além de sempre cobrir a boca ao tossir ou espirrar. Essas medidas simples te ajudarão bastante! 
• Among the WHO recommendations, good hygiene habits are included. So be sure to wash your hands carefully, avoid touching with your eyes and mouth constantly, and always cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. These simple measures go a long way!

USE MÁSCARAS DESCARTÁVEIS RACIONALMENTE | USE DISPOSABLE MASKS REASONABLY

• Para evitar o desperdício e o uso irracional de máscaras descartáveis, a WHO aconselha que ela seja apenas utilizada por pessoas com sintomas de doenças respiratórias, suspeita de infecção do coronavírus ou por profissionais que estejam lidando com infectados. A máscara auxilia a conter o vírus de se espalhar pelo ambiente. 
• To avoid wasting and irrational use of disposable masks, WHO advises that it is only used by people with respiratory diseases symptoms, suspected coronavirus infection or by professionals who are dealing with infected people. The mask helps to contain the virus from spreading through the environment.

These are some basic coronavirus prevention tips. Cuidem-se! Stay safe!