This Year Could Have the Most Active Flu Season Ever. Here’s a Couple of Different Ways to Stay Safe

So, you’ve gotten your flu shot, frequently wash your hands and drink lots of water. Seems like you are as prepared for the flu season as you can possibly be, right? Wrong. There are actually several cross-contamination points in your life that are negating your hand hygiene almost as quickly as you can wash your hands.

Let’s take a step back. It’s worth mentioning, if you don’t already know, that the flu is incredibly contagious. It can be contracted in a variety of different ways, one of which is through touching a surface that has been contaminated with the flu virus and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.

Keyboards and mice are often shared by multiple people. This happens in various offices and even in healthcare settings where there can be an abundance of contaminants. It’s been proven that keyboards and mice are some of the dirtiest items that can be found in an office, with even your office toilet being far cleaner on average. The fact of the matter is that with flu season among us there is even less room for error than usual.

A single sick employee can infect several colleagues as a result of sharing keyboards and mice. One of the best ways to prevent this is to make sure your keyboard and mice are being washed. We can stress handwashing as much as we want, but if you are washing your hands and then touching a dirty keyboard immediately after, you are instantly negating your efforts and putting yourself in harm’s way. The last thing an employer and an employee wants is for the entire office to get sick as a result of these cross-contamination points. The solution is for offices to provide employees with waterproof keyboards and washable mice so that they can be cleaned frequently and prevent sickness.

Another major point of cross-contamination that people don’t realize are touch screen devices, namely in restaurants. The screens that you touch at McDonald’s to order your burger and fries are pretty convenient. However, throughout the year and especially during flu season, they’re actually a dangerous way in which germs are spread. Tens of millions of people are getting the flu annually in the United States. How many of these people do you think are touching those same screens you are? The same goes for any other touch screens that are used by multiple people. Convenience and efficiency are important, no doubt, but safety should not be compromised as a result. It’s paramount that every touch screen has a proper touchscreen protector that allows for the frequent use of disinfecting products. This is important throughout the year, but a complete must during flu season.

This is the year in which you can least afford to be ill-prepared for the flu season. It’s gotten off to an early and deadly start. With tens of thousands annual deaths, the flu must be taken seriously by all. Not to mention workplaces can often sideline several employees at the same time and costs the overall U.S. economy $7 billion a year in sick days and lost productivity. It behooves any employer to make sure that their employees are an in environment that is ideal for preventing sickness as opposed to spreading it and to make sure that their customers are given the same treatment.

A Bright Future for the Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder is undoubtedly one of the best teams in the NBA right now and in the adjacent future. They have two elite players in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook who are still about to reach their athletic prime. They are surrounded by solid role players that allows them to be at their best and there are young talented players that will provide continuous support to their main core. All the tools to be successful are there and the team’s front office has been excellent in taking advantage of every bit of it. While the curtain is closing on some of the NBA teams, it is only just beginning for the Thunder.

Superstar Duo

Both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook who are playing amazing basketball these past couple seasons. They have carried the team to its current status as one of the best teams in the league. They once reached the cusp of a championship and are hungry for the ultimately achievement in the NBA.

Their youth gives them the ability to improve some more and their hunger gives them the motivation to do so. Given the fact that they are almost impossible to cover right now, the image of them improving is a scary thought for fans of other teams.

Solid Roster

Consistency is usually a problem with young teams. However, by surrounding the team with some heady veterans and consistent role-players, the Thunder has been able to become one of the most consistent club in the league.

Talented Youth

Another important factor that will ensure future success for the team in the future is its abundance of young talent. The front office has done a marvelous job of finding players with potentials and allowing them to develop. While other rebuilding teams have a hard time giving their young players playing time, the Thunder has been able to become one of the best teams while allotting plenty of valuable minutes for their youngsters to develop.

This method of talent development not only creates building pieces but also increase the trade assets of the team.

Achilles Heel of the San Antonio Spurs

Watching the San Antonio Spurs is like watching a well-oiled machine with parts that are all moving in harmony. The team has a system that works so well that even as the main core of the team ages, they are still going to be one of the top teams in the league. However, this doesn’t mean that the Spurs have no weakness.

As shown by last year’s playoffs and the recent loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Spurs has a hard time containing the more athletic teams in the league. In the aforementioned lost that dropped the their record to 13-2, the Spurs couldn’t slow down the Thunder when they started rolling.

This is a problem that the team needs to address if they wish to get back to the NBA finals next year. The team is impressive when it comes to consistency and beating teams they are supposed to beat. However, when the playoffs season rolls in and they play against teams like the Thunder and LA Clippers, this issue is going to come up once again.

This weakness of the team isn’t easily noticed in the regular season due to the fact that most teams usually play a little more sloppy during this part of the year. Spurs are pretty decent at coming up with turnovers and taking advantage of it. Thus, an athletic team that doesn’t take care of the ball well doesn’t pose much of a problem for them. However, in the playoffs where teams are more focused are less likely to turn the ball over, the Spurs are going to have a hard time shooting.

The only way the Spurs can beat an athletic team that is playing so well is if everything is clicking for them on the offensive end. Given the fact that they have a hard time defending these kinds of teams, they will have to rely on their offense to beat. This isn’t so bad considering how the Spurs offense can generate good shots. However, the Spurs shooters will have to hit their shots. This also is a problem right now due to the streaky shooting the team is displaying as of the moment. There are nights where shots are going in and there are those bad nights wherein shots just aren’t falling.

If the team is going to contend, coach Pop will have to come up with another offensive solution that doesn’t rely so much on long-range shooting.