Okay, this one I’m embarrassed about.
“If you cough, cough into your hand or fist.” That’s what I was told as a child, what I’ve always done, and what I’ve taught Son.
Never in all those years did it ever occur to me that coughing into my hand actually endangers more people than coughing into a crowded elevator.
Why does it endanger more? Because I then use that hand to shake yours, or to turn the doorknob, or to move hangers on a clothes rack. So the viral or bacterial germs go from my wretchedly sick insides to my hand, where I pass them onto whomever or whatever I come in contact with, leaving whomever or whatever they come in contact with free to share some more.
Aha!
It makes much more sense to cough into a tissue (and immediate dispose of it). If a tissue is unavailable then the best thing to do is cough into your elbow. At least then the germs aren’t as easily spread, though I recommend steering clear of any mosh pits or orgies.
But then, I’d recommend that anyway. At least until you’re well.
So my new mantra to Son will be, “Cough into your elbow”.
I’m sure many of you figured this out ages ago and didn’t need a Captain Obvious Report.
But for those of you out there who regularly or temporarily reside in Oblivia, Captain Obvious bulletins are helpful, aren’t they?
Are You Going To Be This Way The Rest of The Time I Know You? 