What should I do if I start to see symptoms?
Social distancing is staying away from other people to avoid catching or spreading a virus—basically, avoiding crowds. That could mean working from home rather than catching a train to the office, avoiding concerts or weddings, or skipping that half marathon you’ve been training for. Even if you’re healthy, it’s a good idea for the health of others to try and avoid social situations. I think of it like a forest fire spreading: By cutting paths between the trees, you can control the fire. Social distancing is something we think of as a public health intervention.
I’m basing this bit on UK advice. If you have:
a continuous, dry cough OR
You should self-isolate for seven days until you’re no longer infectious. If you live with others, they should self-isolate for 14 days, because that’s the length of time it can take to develop symptoms. They should then self-isolate for seven days from when they show symptoms.
Here’s a really difficult illustration to understand that highlights the situation in the UK:
Generally, for mild to moderate symptoms that can be treated at home, I’d suggest taking Paracetamol to help with muscle aches and fever symptoms, and ensuring you’re getting enough fluids, like herbal tea or water.
So far, the WHO has responded to concerns over the use of NSAID medication such as Ibuprofen by saying there isn’t sufficient evidence to recommend against their use—though there have been reported concerns, especially from doctors in France.
If symptoms worsen and breathing becomes more difficult, then it’s advisable to seek medical advice. For those living in the UK, that’s through the NHS 111 website: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/.
If you are admitted to hospital due to difficulty in breathing, then you may be started on oxygen to help raise the oxygen levels in the blood. If breathing becomes more difficult, then a machine is able to breathe on a person’s behalf—this is called a ‘ventilator’ and is usually used in departments like Intensive Care, or when people are under anaesthetic during surgery.
Unfortunately, antibiotics do not work against viruses, they only work on bacterial infections. A virus causes COVID-19, so antibiotics do not work. Antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment of COVID-19. They should only be used as directed by a physician to treat a bacterial infection.
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