Posted On: 2022-01-11 16:38:09
The new emerging Covid variants have made the current scenario burdensome. People worldwide have suffered and are still suffering from the same dreadful situations every day since 2019. Newly emerging variants of covid are adding to the struggle to manage a healthy and safe environment. But humans, being smart animals, have found ways to cope with these difficult situations and avoid getting them worse.
With thorough research and dedication, experts invented vaccines against the virus that proved to be profoundly successful.
Although the newly found variant- ‘Omicron’ is easily transmissible, it is not proven to be the most fatal one yet. Millions of people around the world are affected by the new variant and people who are already suffering from other life threatening diseases like diabetes, thyroid, heart conditions, needs constant professional medical care. The majority of the cases found recently are asymptomatic/mild cases, which means you have no symptoms of covid.If you live in a house with a person affected by Covid-19 virus and have no symptoms,your case is considered as an asymptomatic one. In India, people with asymptomatic and mild covid cases are advised to stay home quarantined and isolated from other members.
Now, the question is- "how to take care of a covid-19 patient at home?"
Get yourself tested
That goes without saying! If you or anyone in your family or around you have symptoms like cough, cold, fever, body aches, tiredness without any reason, problem in breathing and/or loss of taste or smell, getting tested for covid would be the first thing. Consult a doctor and get tested. The patient should be clinically assigned as a mild or asymptomatic case by the treating Medical Officer. The covid positive patient will be advised to stay home quarantined for over 10 to 14 days.
Isolation
Stay home from work, school and public areas. Avoid using public transportation- ride-sharing services, taxis, trains and buses.
Stay isolated in one room, away from family and other people, as much as possible.
Use a separate bathroom, if possible. In case of sharing a bathroom, always use a sanitiser or disinfectant after you use the bathroom, door and door knobs, counters and other surfaces every time.
Avoid sharing personal household items, such as dishes, towels, bedding and electronics.
Avoid shared space in your home as much as possible. When using shared spaces, limit your movements.
Keep wearing a face mask and if not possible, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or elbow when coughing or sneezing.
While caring for someone with Covid-19:
Keep your hands clean and away from your face, wash your hands regularly.
Wear a face mask, while sharing the same space and keep a safe distance of 2 metres.
Clean your home frequently, clean all the surfaces, counters regularly, keep all the things for the covid patient separate.
Avoid direct contact with the sick person's bodily fluids.
Avoid having unnecessary visitors in your home.
Good Ventilation
Keep your kitchen and other shared spaces well ventilated. Open windows to keep air circulating. A covid patient breathes out small particles (aerosols) of the virus. Adequate ventilation reduces how much virus is in the air, hence it reduces the risk of breathing in the virus.
Good Nutrition
Good nutrition is crucial for health, particularly when the immune system is weak or needs to fight back. World Health Organization (WHO) says- 'Use fresh ingredients, fresh fruits and vegetables and in case they are unavailable, frozen fruits and vegetables can be used as alternatives.’
Prepare meals at home with those ingredients that are fresh and do not have any unnatural colours, sugar or preservatives added to them.
Take advantage of food delivery options, if you cannot cook meals or fetch the ingredients.
Limit your salt intake. Prioritize foods with reduced or no added salt.
Limit your sugar intake. Studies show that after consuming something high in sugar content, cells in the body temporarily lose their aggressiveness to ward off diseases. You don't want your immunity to go weaker than it already is, do you?
Stay Hydrated. You need to replace your body's loss of fluid and keep the respiratory secretions thin enough so that it passes out of the body easily. Choose water over other sugary beverages and caffeinated drinks or teas.
Alcohol is not only a mind-altering and dependence-producing substance, harmful at any level consumed, but it also weakens the immune system. It makes certain medications less effective and combined with medications can also interfere with your liver functions and might cause serious problems, including liver failure. Avoid it completely!
Mental Health during the isolation
Like your body, your mind needs some extra care during this difficult time of isolation. With fear, stress and anxiety in mind, your body cannot completely recover unless it feels less burdened.
For those days and further of isolation; avoid watching news channels and reading news that might increase stress for you.
Make calls to your loved ones and talk to them frequently so you feel less lonely.
Read and watch light-hearted content to lift your mood.
Try a digital detox and engage yourself in creative activities.
Try At-home Exercises for recovery
Consult your doctor and start with basic or minimal exercises to increase your blood flow and refresh your mind. Certain deep breathing exercises, yoga, and walking at home have proven to be beneficial during the recovery phase. Steam inhalation is useful to relive congestion or a cold in the upper respiratory tract. Although experts say state that it does not help with pneumonia or any condition of the lung or help an infection. Steaming brings relief when presented symptoms are similar to that of common cold.
When to End the Home Isolation?
Home isolation is used to separate people with the Covid-19 virus from those who are not sick. Talk to the doctor about when to end home isolation if you have a weakened immune system. If you or your family member have had mild symptoms and were quarantined
At least 7 days have passed since your symptoms started. Wear a mask when you're around others for 5 more days.
The Covid patient has not got any fever for 3 consecutive days.
Other symptoms are improving - loss of taste and smell might last for weeks or months after recovery but should not delay ending isolation.
If you don't have a fever and want to get tested you may do so. But if your test is positive, following your doctor's advice would be the best.
Well, if you have doubts about taking care of yourself or others who are affected by the Covid-19 virus at home; then we hope these steps will be useful along with your doctor's advice on how to handle the home isolation.
Stay Safe and Mask Up!
Author: Anjali Patel
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