Just in March (not that long ago), after each elevator ride, I’d feel chills all over my body and my legs would shake – pure panic reactions. I had left my mails untouched until the mailbox became full. I had thought I might soon die after learning the first case in our apartment complex and then risked my life to visit banks to add a beneficiary to my accounts, naturally causing more bodily chills.

Now I feel at ease to walk anywhere in the city, shop in a store, tour a gallery or small museum, dine in restaurants outdoors, and stay in hotels. Now I can laugh at how nervous I was the first time I took out a hamburger in Georgetown and ate it in a car on an empty street (it was like a ghost town then) and later was so worried that I might have not eaten in a safe manner, terrified to death, and again bodily chills.

It is not mere gallantry. Science has improved our understanding, but science is not complete (even on old subject matters), so we need common sense. The new coronavirus is not entirely novel. Neither are human encounters with coronaviruses. We can always get some inkling from past experiences. Each move toward normalcy, for example, from home delivery of grocery to store pickup and finally in-store shopping, began with tentative experimentation – forced or deliberate, sometimes under temptation.

Besides these measures, I have followed a few more. Nothing is revolutionary or even new. All are simple and practical. To exploit our body, the virus must first come into contact with our body. The single most effective means to protect us from airborne pathogens is wear masks – ANYTIME being in close proximity to other people. It is cost-effective too. We are most likely to get the virus when we take off masks. Consequently, eating or drinking in a crowded setting and family or friend gatherings are most dangerous. Remember this: many have it but don’t show symptoms and yet are contagious.

And of course the general practice of hand washing and wiping. Get outdoors – sunlight is the most effective natural sanitizer, and it is free. Besides, we need fresh air – home can be polluted by our own breaths. We don’t need to wear masks all the time in nature, which gives us a feel of freedom and well-being.

When there are so many cases as we have now, the likelihood to come into contact with the virus somewhere is high – unless we are completely isolated from the outside world. Respiratory infectious diseases start at the throat. The virus is more likely to survive there in dry and cold conditions. (This is why the flu is more prevalent in winter.) Sip warm water frequently. Add a humidifier in the room. (Humidifiers. reported by patients, have resolved a variety of “mysterious” health issues that puzzled doctors.) Gargle with salt water. When the throat feels a bit itching, gargle frequently. Cheeks slightly warm? Get more sleep and rest immediately.

The general policy guidelines for complex systems apply: measure and monitor, make adjustments and also experiment, observe outcomes, and then repeat these continuously. Monitor others too: when they are bold, you should be fearful – the same rule for stock trading.

Even after the virus invades our body successfully, it may not be able to reproduce or do harm – our immune system will put on a fight. We need to get the immune system right – the key to resisting ANY virus in the long run.

Do everything to make the gut happy – the gut is intricately involved in the immune system and essential to our health. Attend to the taste of those good “small guys” (microbes) in the intestines. Sugar is an enemy – feeding bad guys. Low fat diets are misleading – increasing our cravings for sugar. And we need good fat to transport calcium to where the body needs. Otherwise, we get calcium deposits in undesired locations. Low fat + high calcium = more woes to our health. Drinking is bad. Better to drink with a bad meal – at least not wasting good food. Late night drinks, that glass of “romantic” wine, or shots of “relaxing” whiskey, are worse. Drink kefir, instead. It’s a whole science to eat right and get the immune system right. In the short term, try to sleep well, eat high-quality proteins, plus lots of vitamins. Stress is the worst enemy and kindness a friend.

Vaccines are helpful and should be fine for most people, but we cannot rest our hope for the return to normalcy entirely on vaccination. It takes time to vaccinate a majority of the population. And there are so many viruses out there. We don’t know which one will come to infect us and at what time. They also change. If the coronavirus continues to mutate, we will have to live with it and deal with it as part of our regular virus repertoire. Increased transmissibility might mean less virulence and more like flu viruses. Watch possible side effects of vaccines and look at your own medical history to make a decision on vaccination. Probabilities provide guidance at the population level. Individual differences matter too.

Everybody has a different situation and need to act accordingly. In the domain of policy too – there is no silver bullet to curb a pandemic.

A society built on trust may just trust its citizens to do the right thing. A strict lockdown has proved to be effective in China – collective thinking is a norm there. Where individualism is in its cultural genes, such a top-down approach cannot deliver a decisive, quick victory – it only drags on and hurts the economy. (The DC Mayor’s recent decision of ruling out another round of lockdown is sensible and wise – people simply won’t follow.) Shutdowns also incur heavy psychological toll – we want to to be safe but also need to be well. Worst of all is to let politics into play. A major lesson: we must consider human behavior and culture when making policy choices.

However, we cannot blame any policy makers for whatever they chose to do in the beginning – so little was known about this tiny thing. Reactions differ: life has been frozen for some; even today there are some who reject the virus’s existence. This is not new either – each pandemic began with administrators and doctors gathered debating whether there was a pandemic.

But as data become increasingly available, it becomes obvious that the pandemic is real, but the virus is not as deadly as we first thought (at least till now), and we should focus on protecting the vulnerable – those who are older or have underlying medical conditions. Young people should get (free) tests for the virus, perhaps on a regular basis, and older people the vaccine and antibody tests. Those who have chronic diseases should be given special consideration at work and paid leaves if necessary.

Well, keep safe and stay well.