What is the best thing to do during covid-19

Índice Show

Physical distancing
Other protections and support
2. Educate yourself
3. Get involved on Amnesty.org and sign a petition
4. Learn from our YouTube tutorials
6. Show solidarity and care for others

Read transcript

New variants are currently causing a surge in COVID-19 cases.

There are some important ways you can protect yourself, others and our healthcare system.

When leaving home please wear a mask when indoors or in crowded places.

Cover your cough and wash your hands.

Remember physical distancing.

Test if you have symptoms and stay home if you have COVID-19.

Together we can help slow the spread.

Visit Australia.gov.au.

Authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra.

COVID-19 vaccinations are free for everyone in Australia. Getting vaccinated is the best way to keep you, your family, friends, and the community safe.

Find a clinic and book

Getting vaccinated has many benefits, including:

protecting yourself against severe illness and death from COVID-19
preventing complications such as ‘long COVID’
protecting people who can’t be vaccinated due to medical conditions
slowing the spread of the virus
keeping hospitalisation rates at a level our health system can cope with.

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Beanies, scarves, fluffy socks, rummage through that winter box.

Warm soups, oversized knits, dig into those footy kits.

Add getting your Flu shot and staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations to your winter to-do list.

It’s safe to get both vaccines at the same time.

And more important than ever, with people being more vulnerable to illnesses this winter.

Book today at your GP or participating pharmacy.

Authorised by the Australian Government Canberra.

Treatments

More people who are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 are now eligible for oral antiviral treatments, taken as tablets or capsules at home.

You may be eligible if you’re:

70 years and older
50 years and older with 2 risk factors
a First Nations person 30 years and older with 2 risk factors
18 years and older and immunocompromised.

Talk to your health professional about your risk factors and treatment options.

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VO:

Hello, I’m Professor Michael Kidd. New oral treatments are now available for COVID-19.

These are available to those at high risk of severe illness to help fight infection if you contract the virus and they can be taken at home.

You’ll need a prescription and they must be taken as soon as possible after symptoms begin.

So if you’re in a high risk group, talk to your healthcare professional now to be prepared.

For more information and to find out if you’re eligible, visit Australia.gov.au

Authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra.

Testing

You must not visit high-risk settings like aged and disability care facilities and hospitals, unless seeking immediate medical care, until at least 7 days after testing positive and you have no symptoms of COVID-19.

You should get tested for COVID-19 if:

you have symptoms of the illness — even if your symptoms are mild
you have recovered from COVID-19 and develop new symptoms of COVID-19 after 28 days
you have been advised to do so by a health professional.

Find out more about COVID-19 tests.

If you’re at higher risk of severe illness, have COVID-19 symptoms and test negative on a RAT (Rapid Antigen Test), get a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test.

Occasionally, RATS may not detect a COVID-19 infection straight away, so it’s important to get a PCR at a state or territory testing site.

COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments need to be started early after testing positive.

Talk to your health professional about your COVID-19 treatment options.

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Rapid antigen tests, also known as RATs, are a quick way to test if you have COVID-19.

You can buy rapid antigen tests in pharmacies and supermarkets.

There are different types of rapid antigen tests you can use to check if you have COVID-19.

Some use your saliva, while others use a sample collected from inside your nose.

Each test works a little differently, so you must follow the instructions carefully to make sure you get an accurate result.

Results may take up to 30 minutes to show.

Remember, a test can only be used once.

To find out more about rapid antigen tests, call the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080, and press 8 if you need an interpreter.

You can also visit health.gov.au

Masks

Wearing a mask can help protect you and those around you. To use a mask properly you should:

wash or sanitise your hands before putting it on or taking it off
make sure it covers your nose and mouth and fits snugly under your chin
avoid touching the front of your mask while wearing or removing it
keep it in place – don't hang it around your neck or under your nose
use a new single use mask each time
wash and dry reusable masks after use and store in a clean dry place.

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Masks help stop the spread of viruses and reduce our risk of getting sick.

There are many good reasons for wearing them.

We wear masks to protect ourselves or to help protect more vulnerable people.

We may be required to wear a mask when using public transport, or catching a plane, or when visiting a medical or high risk facility.

If you see someone wearing a mask respect their choice. And keep a mask handy, so you can use it when needed.

Physical distancing

The more space between you and others, the harder it is for the virus to spread.

Physical distancing means:

keeping 1.5 metres away from others wherever possible
avoiding physical greetings such as handshaking, hugs and kisses
practising extra care on public transport
avoiding crowds and large gatherings
practising good hygiene
getting tested and staying at home if you have any cold or flu symptoms.

Hygiene

Steps you can take include:

wash your hands often for 20 seconds with soap and water
use alcohol-based hand sanitisers when you can’t use soap and water
avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
clean and disinfect surfaces you use often such as benchtops, desks and doorknobs
clean and disinfect objects you use often such as mobile phones, keys, wallets and work passes.

Other protections and support

In times of coronavirus and social distancing, many of us are staying at home. Here are some free things you can do from home to empower yourself to develop skills that promote equality and respect in your community and worldwide. Why not use your time wisely?

It can be difficult to deal with all the news right now. Why not share something positive, like a video of people showing solidarity during this pandemic or a good news story that you found online?

Where there are people, there's always hope. Even in times of a global pandemic. Because our common humanity unites us all 🕯 pic.twitter.com/eBr3stPxja
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) March 18, 2020

You can also help limit the spread of misinformation online by only sharing advice from experts and reliable sources, like the World Health Organisation. This will help stop people around you from panicking.

2. Educate yourself

Use your time wisely – there are loads of educational materials on human rights that you can study. We have a whole Human Rights Academy dedicated to exactly that. Join it.

On our Academy, you can:

Take an introduction course on the core concepts of human rights.
Turn yourself into an agent of change with our new online course on the UDHR.
Learn how to protect yourself online and promote digital security.
Come face-to-face with human rights activists in this course on Freedom of Expression.
Learn what a human rights defender is, and become one yourself.

Find all of our free courses here.

Stay Informed, Get Inspired, Take Action

3. Get involved on Amnesty.org and sign a petition

Human rights abuses are still happening around the world. Use this time to take action and have your say.

Help us demand freedom for detained protesters in Iran.

Defend India’s rights to participate in peaceful protests.

Empower the Rohingya refugee children with education.

4. Learn from our YouTube tutorials

We have tried to digest some serious human rights issues into easily viewable videos. Teach yourself how to spot fake news or protest peacefully.

If you are good at using technology and social media, you can help those who may not be. Guide people through using messaging apps and social media. Call them to show them remotely how to look for help, find reliable sources and advice online. Help them find communities and people online they can talk to.

6. Show solidarity and care for others

At times like this, there are so many ways you can help those around you. For instance:

Follow health workers’ advice and social distancing guidelines if you’ve been advised to do so. It helps protect people most vulnerable in your communities and eases the burden on carers and hospitals.
Provide emotional support for people via phone calls or messages. This can be an extremely lonely time for many. Call people and provide them with support.
Help limit the spread of misinformation and create awareness about basic dos and don’ts by promoting advice from experts and reliable sources.
Share scarce resources, be considerate when shopping and offer help to people who are less able to access protective necessary goods that are in high demand.

And remember, whatever you do: Stay safe.

Speak out for human rights alongside over 7 million supporters around the world