Demystifying Covid-19 care, things to do if you are infected by coronavirus:
By this time now, we have realized that Covid-19 can be treated at home. The cases are increasing every day, earlier, the corona patients were admitted to the hospital irrespective of the severity of the disease. Now hospitals are incapable of taking care of thousands of people. If all the corona positives are admitted to the hospital then the staff can’t look out for non-COVID patients. Rushing to a hospital these days can be a big mistake, there is a great risk out there.
There are a number of things that occur when someone is exposed to Covid-19. Check out what they are and how you can tackle them while staying at home.
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Asymptomatic
If exposed, one gets Covid-19 or doesn’t. They are the ones who get it and don’t show any symptoms but will continue to spread it. They might be less contagious than someone who is coughing, but there is no evidence that they do not spread it. However, they don’t need any treatment.
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Mild cases
The symptomatic will first be pre-symptomatic. This is basically a two-day time when they are contagious, and will spread the virus, but will not have developed symptoms. Eventually, they will develop one or other symptoms: cough, fever, loss of smell or taste, and so on.
Most of them will have mild symptoms and will also need no treatment except when doctors call it “symptomatic management”, with medications to simply manage the fever and cough and body aches. Home remedies will also be a part of this treatment.
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Symptomatic, moderate
Some people develop moderate symptoms and some will develop severe disease and only these two need medical intervention. The ones that have moderate symptoms will be given oxygen therapy, thereby providing more oxygen to your blood. Oxygen can be delivered through a mask and tube connected to a portable oxygen tank. All the other medications and home remedies are also needed.
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Severe cases
If a patient experiences shortness of breath then they need ventilators. These breathing machines are highly complex systems that need skilled technicians to run them. Hence, hospitalization is recommended. And finally, plasma donated from Covid-19 survivors helps some of the sickest. This is what treatment is given in ICU.
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Community-based service
One way to decrease the load on hospitals is to keep all those who do not need hospital care, away from hospitals. Keeping people home safely means monitoring symptomatic patients by measuring their respiratory rate and oxygen saturation. Neighborhood champions and community health workers can be easily taught to do this through online teaching aids. So the quarantine centers are also an option. The intervention is needed only when oxygen saturation begins to go down.
Pulse-oximeters are necessary nowadays, instead of promoting Indian spices, Arsenicum album, we should promote oximeters. Keep monitoring the oxygen level and take precautions. Rush to the hospital only if the symptoms are severe.
