Virus-Fighting Tips from the Bullhorn Family

Virus-Fighting tips have suddenly become the focus of our lives.  Both COVID-19 and several strains of flu have

made giant footprints in our lives.

Bullhorn Media joins with the Florida Lung Doctors in recognizing the virus challenge posed by COVID-19. In fact, “Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialists has spotted an elephant in the room.” An elephant in the room symbolizes an unavoidable subject.

We cannot really talk about the sports, politics, or life events in our communities or the OCCC (ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER) without that elephant crashing into the room.

“That elephant is a virus, not a pachyderm. So, the disease it causes goes by the official name of COVID-19. Of course, it occupies many conversations and virtually monopolizes the airwaves and the Internet.”

Read on to discover Bullhorn’s favorite virus-fighting tips that will “eat” “that rogue elephant, COVID-19– or rather, change the course of the disease.”

Know Your Enemy (Enemies!)

It is very interesting and a little ironic that we have vulnerable groups from both ends of the age spectrum.

• On the one hand, the flu is another elephant, very contagious to very young, the infirm and the elderly.
• On the other hand, COVID-19 is targeting family members over 50 years old.

So within a multi-generational household, the trick is to keep the young from getting the flu, while preventing the senior citizens from getting COVID-19 or a bad case of flu. 

Virus-Fighting Against Shocking Flu Numbers

With all the focus on COVID-19, many of the news-worthy Influenza facts are overlooked. And we want you to be aware that we are enduring a pretty bad, some say historic, flu season. Yes, Influenza, the flu is the other elephant in the room.

• Did you know that 144 children have died of influenza and influenza-associated complications during the 2019-2020 season?
• Are you aware the CDC estimates 22,000 to 55,000 will die of influenza this year?
• We don’t publish this to give you anxiety, but simply to give you the facts in perspective.

Flu Stats Versus COVID-19 Facts

Likewise, perhaps you should know that “A total of 17,889 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations were reported by FluSurv-NET sites between October 1, 2019, and March 7, 2020. Such facts represent families. And such facts have caused us to write this article instead of our normal video or photoblog. 

COVID-19 Facts:  Numbers Behind the Big Elephant

 

Of course, the COVID-19 elephant in the room that is tryin to stampede us all with fear and dread has trampled us with some horrible statistics also.  In fact, it is very hard to stay up to date with as the numbers of patients rise globally due to this rogue virus.

• As of this publication, we have 153, 000 confirmed cases World-Wide.
• The number of confirmed cases in the US now hovers at 2,660.
• Sadly COVID-19 has slain 53 people in the US.

Virus-Fighting Tooth and Nail:  Tips from Our Family to Yours

At Bullhorn Media, our owners and staff would feel remiss if we did not pass on some of our favorite virus-fighting tips for your family. Here’s a tip that is often overlooked:

Your family’s toothbrushes are a haven for viruses.  And if someone in the family has been sick, then replace all the toothbrushes.

If one person is sick, let them remove their toothbrush from the bathroom.  We don’t know about you, dear readers, but we are getting all new ones.

Bullhorn’s Legendary Virus-Fighter’s Hand-Washing Technique

By now, we know everyone in your life has told

you to wash your hands, but do all of our children know-how– and for how long?  Healthline advises you to wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds. “Rushing the process can result in cross-contamination and increased sickness.”

Dr. King at Pediatric Dentistry agrees and adds “We’ve taught you for years that good tooth-brushing must last 2 minutes.  Now, we are standing with the CDC as we remind you “good hand washing must last 20 seconds to kill the viruses.”

Virus-Fighting with Soap and Water

How do you know you’ve washed your hands for 20 seconds?  Sing. Sing Happy Birthday To You two times. That requires about 20 seconds. Likewise, it is easy to “forget” areas of the hands in an absent-minded washing habit.  The virus-fighting family at Bullhorn Media recommend:

• After soaping up and washing the palms and backs of the hands, wash between every finger.
• Be sure you scrub the thumb, and not just accidentally.
• Hopefully, you have a nailbrush, but if not, simply rub your nails against the sides of your hands.
• Then, use each hand to scrub around the alternate wrist.
• Finally, after a good rinse, dry well.

Bullhorn Focuses on When To Wash Hands:  Virus-Fighting Tips for Young and Old

These technical steps to hand-washing might never cross your mind. But in the midst of so many viruses, we hope we can make one person, young or old, reconsider their hand-washing technique. If just one person can benefit from the Virus-Fighter’s clean hand campaign, this blog will not have been wasted.

1. We all know we should wash before meals. However, don’t forget to wash before preparing food, even if it’s just opening a bag of chips—maybe especially when you’re opening that bag of chips.
2. Big sisters and brothers make great nurses.  But they must not forget that after taking care of a little brother or sister, they have to wash their own hands. Likewise, after visiting Grandma or helping her when she is sick.
3. Did your little flu-fighter scrape his knee or get a splinter? Or did you cut yourself paring an apple on the kitchen counter?  Did you hit your thumb with a ball-peen hammer?   Before and after you tape on that Band-Aid, remember to wash those hands. This can be a challenge when you’re focused on your task. But it can prevent you from getting sick.

Terrific Take-Aways for Virus-Fighting

At a time when we must distance ourselves socially, good virus-fighters know it is important to keep in touch with friends and family via phone and e-mail.

On a personal note, you can imagine how difficult the canceling of major events and group meetings has been.  At Bullhorn Media, Photography and Videography are our passions and we are very socially-oriented.  Thus, we plan to use any off-time we get to sharpen new skills and, like everyone else, disinfect our environment? By the way, do your employees need video instructions on cleaning and disinfecting your environment?  We are busily creating such videos for deep-cleaning.

And we should point out that this is a great time for businesses to update corporate images. We at Bullhorn Media recommend businesses consider using this time to send us photo and video projects like some of the ones that we have discussed in previous weeks. Many such projects, like product shoots, script-writing and editing raw footage can be accomplished without compromising health safety.

Panic Versus Preparedness:

Think of the words of Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. 

He termed COVID-19 “pandemic.” Then, he stated, “There’s been so much attention on one word.

Let me give you some other words that matter much more. And they are much more actionable.” He listed the words:

• Prevention…
• Preparedness…
• Public health…
• Political leadership…
• And most of all, people…”

And he added, “We’re in this together, to do the right things with calm and protect the citizens of the world. It’s doable.”

Certainly, those are good words for any virus-fighter to live by.

Thank you for reading this special edition Bullhorn Media blog “and in the words of the Florida Lung Doctors, remember to just breathe one breath at a time while virus-fighting.  That’s how you can “eat” an elephant—One bite at a time.”