Should I disinfect my groceries to prevent getting Coronavirus?

These days one of the things most people are concerned about is keeping an adequate food supply at home. Is there a risk of getting Coronavirus from grocery items? In theory if someone sneezes onto a food item and you pick it up and eat it then yes there is a risk...so how does one protect oneself?

According to the article in the link below the most practical way is to rinse objects you may be concerned about with warm water.

Keep in mind that use of disinfectant chemicals on food items is not recommended as this carries risks of it's own...the chemicals are often hazardous in themselves. For example bleach is irritant to the lungs and the last thing you want in this pandemic is a compromised lung.

More information in the link below. 

https://www.insider.com/how-to-safely-clean-your-produce-to-prevent-coronavirus-2020-3

There's also this article which has answers to a series of questions about grocery shopping. 

UPDATE. The Lancet published this paper about the survival of SARS-CoV-2. Of note is the prolonged survival at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius which is the temperature of most refrigerators. Hence it is important to clean groceries such as fresh milk cartons before putting them in the fridge. 

UPDATE 2. Whilst going through my Facebook timeline I came across an article from Reader's Digest that is on the subject at hand. Though adding nothing new it is written in a matter of fact style, with lots of common sense that will surely appeal to those wishing to inform themselves without the burden of lots of technicalities. Read it here.

COVID-19 resources

Here are some useful resources for 

information on COVID-19

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus map

World Health Organisation advisory

World Health Organisation Q&A

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 page

Worldometer Coronavirus live statistics

NHS UK COVID-19 page

Malta Health Ministry COVID-19 page

European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 page

Burnout at work

Everyone experiences stress at work...otherwise it wouldn't be work! However continuous unrelenting stress is harmful to the individual. Oftentimes the problem for the worker is recognizing there is one, because unless this happens corrective actions will be difficult go implement.

The following are 20 warning signs that the stress levels at work have become toxic and some serious thought should be put towards remedying the situation. 

Courtesy of https://amp-businessinsider-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.businessinsider.com/20-ways-to-avoid-getting-burned-out-at-work-2015-9

Taking blood pressure medicines at night saves lives

High blood pressure or hypertension is a very common condition. It is an important risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Treatment for it exists and involves taking tablets on a daily basis usually for the rest of one's life. 

Some blood pressure tablets come with a recommendation to take at night because of the possibility of causing dizziness. Other tablets can cause the patient to use the bathroom more frequently and so patients ask the doctor to take them at times when this would cause least inconvenience. 

A new study just published followed up a large number of patients in Spain to study if taking blood pressure medications at night has any effect on health. It emerged that it has. Taking blood pressure tablets in the night time reduces the risk of dying from heart attack, stroke or heart failure. 

https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20191023/bedtime-may-be-best-time-for-blood-pressure-meds

The ECG

While on LinkedIn I came across some useful information about the ECG. The ECG has long been used as one of the first investigations when checking the health of the patient's heart. It remains a reliable, if interpreted well, companion in the doctor's search for answers.

So the following picture illustrates what normality should look like.

Being familiar with the normal is the first step for every doctor. Deviations from these patterns then need to be assessed and investigated. 

In the next picture we become aware of the most important abnormalities in the ECG....these changes should not be missed.