What to Do If You are Sick or Suspected Coronavirus Disease?
coronavirus
Coronavirus, COVID-19 What to do if you are Sick?
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new strain that was discovered in 2019 and has not been previously identified in humans. coronavirus
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.
Common signs of infection include,
- Respiratory symptoms.
- Fever.
- Cough.
- Shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
- In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.
Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.
The rapid spread of,
The virus that causes COVID-19 has sparked alarm worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared this rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, and many countries are grappling with a rise in confirmed cases. In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising people to be prepared for disruptions to daily life that will be necessary if the coronavirus spreads within communities.
What can You do when social distancing?
Try to look at this period of social distancing as an opportunity to get to things you’ve been meaning to do. Though you shouldn’t go to the gym right now, that doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. Take long walks or run outside (do your best to maintain at least six feet between you and non-family members when you’re outside). Do some yoga or other indoor exercise routines when the weather isn’t cooperating.
Kids need exercise too,
So try to get them outside every day for walks or a backyard family soccer game (remember, this isn’t the time to invite the neighborhood kids over to play). Avoid public playground structures, which aren’t cleaned regularly and can spread the virus.
Pull out board games that are gathering dust on your shelves. Have family movie nights. Catch up on books you’ve been meaning to read or do a family read-a-loud every evening.
It’s important to stay connected even though we should not do so in person. Keep in touch virtually through phone calls, Skype, video, and other social media. Enjoy a leisurely chat with an old friend you’ve been meaning to call. If all else fails, go to bed early and get some extra sleep!
Steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 if you are sick:
1. Stay home except to get medical care:
- Stay home: People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to isolate at home during their illness. You should restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care.
- Avoid public areas: Do not go to work, school, or public areas.
- Avoid public transportation: Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis.
2. Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home:
- Stay away from others: As much as possible, you should stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home. Also, you should use a separate bathroom, if available.
- Limit contact with pets & animals: You should restrict contact with pets and other animals while you are sick with COVID-19, just like you would around other people. Although there have not been reports of pets or other animals becoming sick with COVID-19, it is still recommended that people sick with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus.
Also,
- When possible, have another member of your household care for your animals while you are sick. If you are sick with COVID-19, avoid contact with your pet, including petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked, and sharing food. If you must care for your pet or be around animals while you are sick, wash your hands before and after you interact with pets and wear a facemask.
3. Call ahead before visiting your doctor:
- Call ahead: If you have a medical appointment, call the healthcare provider and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19. This will help the healthcare provider’s office take steps to keep other people from getting infected or exposed.
4. Wear a facemask if you are sick:
- If you are sick: You should wear a facemask when you are around other people (e.g., sharing a room or vehicle) or pets and before you enter a healthcare provider’s office.
- If you are caring for others: If the person who is sick is not able to wear a facemask (for example, because it causes trouble breathing), then people who live with the person who is sick should not stay in the same room with them, or they should wear a facemask if they enter a room with the person who is sick.
5. Cover your coughs and sneezes:
- Cover: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Dispose of: Throw used tissues in a lined trash can.
- Wash hands: Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or, if soap and water are not available, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
6. Clean your hands often:
- Wash hands: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
- Hand sanitizer: If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry.
- Soap and water: Soap and water are the best options if hands are visibly dirty.
- Avoid touching: Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
7. Avoid sharing personal household items:
- Do not share: You should not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people or pets in your home.
- Wash thoroughly after use: After using these items, they should be washed thoroughly with soap and water.
8. Clean all “high-touch” surfaces everyday:
- Clean and disinfect: Practice routine cleaning of high touch surfaces.
High touch surfaces include counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables.
- Disinfect areas with bodily fluids: Also, clean any surfaces that may have blood, stool, or body fluids on them.
- Household cleaners: Use a household cleaning spray or wipe, according to the label instructions. Labels contain instructions for safe and effective use of the cleaning product including precautions you should take when applying the product, such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during the use of the product.
9. Monitor your symptoms:
- Seek medical attention: Seek prompt medical attention if your illness is worsening (e.g., difficulty breathing).
- Call your doctor: Before seeking care, call your healthcare provider and tell them that you have, or are being evaluated for, COVID-19.
- Wear a facemask when sick: Put on a facemask before you enter the facility. These steps will help the healthcare provider’s office to keep other people in the office or waiting room from getting infected or exposed.
- Alert health department: Ask your healthcare provider to call the local or state health department. Persons who are placed under active monitoring or facilitated self-monitoring should follow instructions provided by their local health department or occupational health professionals, as appropriate.
10. Discontinuing home isolation:
- Stay at home until instructed to leave: Patients with confirmed COVID-19 should remain under home isolation precautions until the risk of secondary transmission to others is thought to below.
- Talk to your healthcare provider: The decision to discontinue home isolation precautions should be made on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with healthcare providers and state and local health departments.
Caring for Yourself at Home:
10 things you can do to manage your health at home:
If you have possible or confirmed COVID-19:
- Stay home from work, school, and away from other public places. If you must go out, avoid using any kind of public transportation, ridesharing, or taxis.
- Monitor your symptoms carefully. If your symptoms get worse, call your healthcare provider immediately.
- Get rest and stay hydrated.
- If you have a medical appointment, call the healthcare provider ahead of time and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19.
- For medical emergencies, call 911 and notify the dispatch personnel that you have or may have COVID-19.
- Cover your cough and sneezes.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home. Also, you should use a separate bathroom, if available. If you need to be around other people in or outside of the home, wear a facemask.
- Avoid sharing personal items with other people in your household, like dishes, towels, and bedding
- Clean all surfaces that are touched often, like counters, tabletops, and doorknobs. Use household cleaning sprays or wipes according to the label instructions.
For any additional questions about your care, contact your healthcare provider or state or local health department.
How do you know if it’s cold, flu or Coronavirus?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these are the common symptoms for the cold, flu, and Coronavirus.
A. Coronavirus:
Symptoms of COVID-19 can include:
- Fever and – or chills.
- Cough (usually dry).
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
- Tiredness (sometimes).
- Aches and pains (sometimes).
- Headaches (sometimes).
- Sore throat (sometimes).
- Upper respiratory symptoms, like runny nose and sinus congestion, are very uncommon in COVID-19.
The severity of COVID-19 symptoms ranges from mild to severe. If you’ve had recent close contact with a COVID-19 patient or you’ve traveled recently to an area where COVID-19 is active, it may be more likely that your symptoms are due to COVID-19.
| CORONAVIRUS VS. COLD VS. FLU | |||
| Symptoms | Coronavirus* | Cold | Flu |
| Fever | Common (measured at 100 F or higher) | Rare | High (100-102 F), can last 3-4 days |
| Headache | Sometimes | Rare | Intense |
| General aches, pains | Sometimes | Slight | Common, often severe |
| Fatigue, weakness | Sometimes | Slight | Common, often severe |
| Extreme exhaustion | Sometimes (progresses slowly) | Never | Never Common (starts early) |
| Stuffy nose | Rare | Common | Sometimes |
| Sneezing | Rare | Common | Sometimes |
| Sore throat | Rare | Common | Common |
| Cough | Common | Mild to moderate | Common can become severe |
| Shortness of breath | In more serious infections | Rare | Rare |
| Runny nose | Rare | Common | Sometimes |
| Diarrhea | Sometimes | No | Sometimes** |
|
* Information is still evolving. ** Sometimes for children. Sources: KDHE, CDC, WHO, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. |
|||
B. Cold:
Symptoms of a cold usually peak within 2 to 3 days and can include:
- Sneezing.
- Stuffy nose.
- Runny nose.
- Sore throat.
- Coughing.
- Mucus dripping down your throat (post-nasal drip).
- Watery eyes.
- Fever (although most people with colds do not have a fever).
When viruses that cause colds first infect the nose and air-filled pockets in the face (sinuses), the nose makes clear mucus. This helps wash the viruses from the nose and sinuses. After 2 or 3 days, mucus may change to a white, yellow, or green color. This is normal and does not mean you need an antibiotic.
Some symptoms,
particularly runny nose, stuffy nose, and cough can last for up to 10 to 14 days, but those symptoms should be improving during that time. Most cold viruses will go away if we’re patient and give our bodies time to fight them. Your immune system is the greatest defense against the common cold.
C. Flu:
Here’s are some common symptoms of the flu:
The time from when a person is exposed and infected with flu to when symptoms begin is about 2 days but can range from about 1 to 4 days.
- Fever and/or chills.
- Cough (usually dry).
- Fatigue.
- Aches and pains.
- Runny or stuffy nose (sometimes).
- Sore throat (sometimes).
- Diarrhea (sometimes in children).
Who is most likely to be infected with influenza?
CID study found that children are most likely to get sick from flu and that people 65 and older are least likely to get sick from influenza. Median incidence values (or attack rate) by age group were 9.3% for children 0-17 years, 8.8% for adults 18-64 years, and 3.9% for adults 65 years and older.
This means that children younger than 18 are more than twice as likely to develop asymptomatic flu infection than adults 65 and older.
Period of Contagiousness:
You may be able to spread flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick. People with flu are most contagious in the first 3-4 days after their illness begins.
Some otherwise healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick. Some people, especially young children and people with weakened immune systems might be able to infect others for an even longer time.
Summing up:
There are many overlaps. the most significant difference is the respiratory aspect of shortness of breath. When a patient experiences that, that is a cause for serious Coronavirus concern.
Make sure you have a fever, cough, and especially shortness of breath. Then, call your doctor to let them know of your specific symptoms so that the hospital or doctor’s office can prepare for your potential arrival. For example, you may need a special type of room to be set up. You may not.
if you are in general good health,
With no pre-existing conditions, and have no recent travel history, you may be asked to stay home and self-quarantine for the time being. Testing for you may not be prioritized. if you are presenting Coronavirus symptoms, have pre-existing conditions that make your immune system compromised, or have recent travel history, you may be asked to come in immediately to get tested.
Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment for any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”
References
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