What to do when you are home quarantined for Covid-19? List blog post
How to manage Covid-19 at home?
So, what to do when diagnosed with Covid-19 and have to quarantine at home? When asymptomatic or presenting with mild symptoms, home quarantine is usually prescribed to prevent the spread of illness , allow the individual to recuperate, and allot hospital beds to those who have severe symptoms.
Here is a list of home management actions a Covid-19 patient can do while self-isolating at home:
1. Drink water
Drink enough water to avoid dehydration. This is specially crucial when such symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 like diarrhea, colds, and fever are present. As a good source of vitamin c, one can hydrate with lemon juice.
On the other hand, drinks such as caffeine and alcohol can cause dehydration, so they should be avoided.
2. Boost your Immunity
The body can better fight off an infection when it is at its optimal level. So, make sure that your are getting enough nutrients and vitamins from your diet. Vitamin C, D, zinc, and probiotics help boosts the immune system. Eat nutrient dense foods and take vitamin supplement as deemed necessary.
3. Rest and exercise
Rest should be balanced with physical activity. Especially when there is already fluid build-up in the lungs, spending all time bed bound can aggravate it, so it helps to get up and walk around even in a constrictive space. If asymptomatic or with mild symptoms, exercise such as yoga can prove beneficial and doable in an indoor space.
4. Don't sleep on your back
A Covid-19 patient presenting with shortness of breath will find the back-lying position constrictive as the lungs gets compressed at such position. Instead, it will be easier to breath when one lies on the abdomen while sleeping.
5. Wear mask and Wash your hands
Remember, Covid-19 can spread through droplets when breathing, talking, coughing, and sneezing and can become aerosolized in enclosed spaces, so to prevent infecting other people, one must ensure to follow the mandates on masking, and hand washing.
6. Isolate
Ideally, in order to prevent the spread of infection, those diagnosed with Covid-19 or are showing symptoms must isolate, but if they share household with family, options must be considered. Does your locality have a quarantine facility where you can be admitted instead? If not and it's inevitable to share household, at least allot a separate room for the covid-19 patient to isolate in. If there is no partition inside the room, there is increased likelihood of transmission, maintain a distance of 1 meter apart, wear mask, and keep the room well ventilated by opening windows.
7. Don't share personal items
Toothbrush, toothpaste, dishes, utensils, beddings, and other personal items used by an individual with covid should never be shared with others as it can lead to transmission of the disease.
8. Keep in touch with health care provider
In certain areas, a team of health care workers keep watch of confirmed covid patients through phone during the duration of home quarantine. Keep your line of communication open.
Studies have shown that Covid-19 can predispose one to hypercoagulation which can inadvertently lead to heart attack, stroke, or infarction, so if you are at a high risk group, such as the case when you have a heart problem, contact your health care provider to discuss possible options like starting on anticoagulant medication.
9. Know how to manage your symptoms at home
Covid symptoms such as fever can be managed at home by drinking lots of fluids, tepid sponge bath, and taking over the counter medicine paracetamol. However, do note that certain medication such as NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen, and celecoxib) can aggravate the severity of Covid symptoms so they are not advisable to be taken. Meanwhile, there are home remedies one can do at home to ease cough.
10. Know when to seek hospitalization
If one's physical symptom worsens, such as when an individual develops difficulty of breathing in which their is low blood oxygen level, or if complications develop, hospital admission may be deemed necessary. Contact your health care facility first if possible before going so they'll be alerted and proper preparation for your arrival can be made.
11. Mental health
Isolation, typically lasting about 2 weeks, can predispose a person to mental health problems so it is imperative to take actions to mitigate it. In today's technological age, the convenience of seeing love ones through video calls can ease one's need for companion. 4 ways to battle the loneliness of isolation.
