COVID-19: The way to cope with coronavirus if you are unable to seek treatment

The majority of individuals who are infected with coronavirus may experience  a mild disease  or  a nearly symptomless condition which might be treated at home. therefore if you are experiencing the  signs of the virus, what must you do to feel better?

 What are the symptoms? 

The symptoms of COVID-19, the unwellness caused by coronavirus, include: 

• Fever (a temperature higher than 37.8°C or skin that feels hot to touch). 
• A new, continuous cough. 
• A loss of or modification to your sense of smell or taste.
•  Shortness of breath and problem breathing. 
• Fatigue. 
• Headaches. 
• Sore throat. 
• Aches and pains. 

If you experience fever, lose your sense of smell or taste or develop a brand new continuous cough, you ought to self-isolate instantly. Those experiencing a light ill health do not need to look for medical attention, however you must book a COVID test & get the result to manage further ( any hospitalisation needed also demands a COVID +ve report which takes almost 2 days & that 2 days delay can cost a lot to patient’s condition & prognosis )  

Please seek immediate medical attention & hospitalisation if- 

• If your RT-PCR shows high viral load.
• If cannot deal with your symptoms at home.
• Your condition gets worse. 
• You still have fever, are feeling typically unwell or produce other symptoms after the 1st 5 days.
• You are unable to do everyday tasks like staring at your phone, reading or getting out of your bed. 

Looking after yourself at home

As with different viruses like colds and flu-taking it simple and looking after yourself are crucial to your recovery. 

You should: 

Drink lots of fluids. Drink enough water in order that your urine could be a pale, clear color. 

Avoid alcohol as this can cause you to feel dehydrated. There’s  conjointly proof that individuals with COVID-19 infection are at risk of liver harm, which might be worsened by drinking alcohol. 

Get lots of rest. you must isolate yourself at home if you have got any symptoms of coronavirus, and avoid any strenuous activity while you're unwell. 

Keep a check on your SpO2 levels & record 3-4 times daily .(anything below 94% should ring a bell, YouTube or Google “proning” & start practising that , it shall help improve the saturation)

Use over-the-counter medicines to treat some of your symptoms. 

Medications 

There is not presently a sure shot cure for COVID-19. The aim of treatment is to manage and cut back symptoms till you have got recovered. Most people - around 90% - have a mild or gentle infection which might be treated at home.During this case, you must self-isolate for a minimum of one week till you have got recovered. A small proportion of individuals who contract COVID-19 would require hospitalization - the probability of this is often terribly low if you're young and otherwise healthy. Those at a better risk of severe or critical infections include older individuals and people with underlying health conditions.

However there are certain things you can start with -

Patients may take paracetamol once self-medicating for symptoms of COVID-19, like fever and headache

 T. Paracetamol 500 mg Thrice a day can help 

Some of the medications and treatments you would possibly use to treat colds and respiratory disease will facilitate with coronavirus symptoms. Cough medicines or cough suppressants will facilitate scale back your cough. Throat lozenges and remedies like honey and lemon could improve a inflammatory disease.

If you have got antibiotics lying around at home, don't take them to treat coronavirus. Because it is a virus, antibiotics won't improve coronavirus. You ought to never take antibiotics that haven't been prescribed for a particular condition.

 Still as a cover one can start with taking 

T. Azithromycin 500 mg Once daily x 5 Days (or)

T. Amoxiclav 625 mg twice a day x 5 Days (or)

T. Doxy 100 mg Twice a day x 5 Days

There are several natural 'cures' and seasoning remedy concepts floating round the web and in health stores. Currently, we have a tendency to be responsive to any remedy to cure COVID-19, therefore do not be fooled by the 'miracle' treatments some folks try to sell. Instead of that one should start supplements which have evidence proving to be helpful .

The recommended doses of these supplements for adults  are-

Vitamin C 1000 mg daily

Zinc 50mg daily 

Tab N- acetyl cystine 600 mg daily 

Vitamin D 60k once every week

Things should pretty much improve by themselves but as I said earlier if You still have fever, are feeling typically unwell or produce other symptoms after the 1st 5 days seek immediate medical attention. What to start then if medical treatment is not readily available-

5th Day start with a steroid & an anticoagulant.( kindly note that in any case steroids must not be started in the initial phase of the disease , that will lead to suppression of the immune system which is going to fight the disease ) In the 2nd phase of the disease the steroids are started to prevent the cytokines storm (where the body starts to attack its own cells and tissues rather than just fighting off the virus) which can overwhelm the system . 

The steroid you can start -T. Medrol 16 mg Orally thrice a day for 5 days (total dose should not be more than your weight)

T. Dexa 8 mg orally once a day for 5 days

Anticoagulant- Has a role in preventing clot formation in COVID +ve patients . One shouldn’t wait for D-Dimer test results to start an anticoagulant if the symptoms are there on the 5th day . Start with T. Eliquis 2.5 mg twice daily for 7 days (or) 

T. Clopitab-A Once daily for 7 days

After you have started these 2 medications seek immediate medical help for further management & in the mean time after 5 days get an HRCT Chest done as that would also be needed by the physician (to plan further treatment) who will attend to you or your loved one . 

Note: This article is intended to help the people who can’t reach out to a physician due to overwhelmed Indian Hospitals & healthcare system during this COVID wave