Friday, March 27, 2020

COVID-19 Someone in my house has Covid-19! What to do?


What should you do?
Isolate anyone who is visibly ill. Open the windows regularly and dilute the indoor air. You can put an air purifier in the room where the person is. Viruses survive longer at low humidity  so a humidifier may be helpful.  Change your dressing gown and shoes when going in and out of the room if practical, leave them at the door each time. Clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces with dilute bleach ( 5 tablespoons per gallon or 4 teaspoons per quart) or alcohol. These surfaces include things like doorknobs, light switches, hand rails, counters, vanities and tap handles. Computer keyboards and phones.
Close the toilet lid before flushing and run the exhaust fan in the bathroom. If you have a mask available it is more useful to give it to the person with the Corona virus to prevent them from spreading it. The virus is highly contagious. Make sure the person is being followed by a doctor even if you don’t go into the office. A lot can be done to help mitigate their symptoms on the phone or with telemed.

Prevention
I have been stressing these measures in my last 6 blogs so you are probably tired of hearing about them but here are the most efficient methods: Hand washing, social distancing, sanitizing (more about that later), stay home, cover your cough or sneeze. Get expert advice if you are sick.

Stress is affecting everyone, even those sitting at home. There is worry about personal health and safety, job security, loved ones especially the frail and children.
Everyone is looking at everyone else and wondering if they have the virus. Well, they may have , since estimates are that 80% of us will have had it by the time everything is said and done. For many of us the worry is not so much that we might catch it but that the healthcare system is woefully inadequate for those who get very sick from it. In addition to that so many people still do not have healthcare.  If not for John McCain's vote Obamacare would have been a thing of the past and things would have been even worse!
The effects of long-term stress include anxiety, depression, weight gain or loss, insomnia, irritability, sexual dysfunction.
Supplements that help anxiety and depression include St John’s wort, Lithium (YES, over-the-counter!), Valerian root, 5-HTP and Kava.
Get outside daily. Exercise. Call friends you’ve been meaning to catch up with. Take an on line course. If all else fails call me J

Don’t fall for it!
If the country was completely shut down for 5 weeks the virus would be defeated. Since this is unlikely to happen we must conduct ourselves sensibly and not succumb to fake news and fake medicines  and snake oil. 
Taking medications that may help once you are sick are not going to prevent the virus from attacking you. Do you want to take medications for 5 weeks and then when you get the  actual virus they don’t work? Work on boosting your immune system so the virus can’t take you down. A good combo is: Pregnenolone 50 mg, Vitamin C 2000mg, DHEA 25 mg, Vitamin D, E 400 and Zinc 25mg and probiotics.
If you want to get fancy you can do an IV infusion of vitamins to boost your system (costs about $175 for basic). You can also get a shot of B complex or take our Granules with B Complex if you don’t like swallowing pills (last check we had about 6 left).
 If nothing else basic Vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of respiratory infection, regulates cytokine production and can limit the risk of other viruses such as influenza. Most Covid deaths are from acute respiratory failure due to cytokine storms – a vicious cycle in which our inflammatory cells damage organs throughout the body. Adequate Vitamin D, may potentially provide some modest protection for vulnerable populations.

Watch that take out!
I know sitting home is boring and you have time to cook but the hassle of the grocery store and fear of the outside is making people eat a lot of take out. Be careful, there’s take out and then there’s junk! You might look up when all this is over and wonder where that extra 15 pounds sprung from. Let’s not clog up our arteries AND get corona.

Last but not least Testing :
Earlier this week, Secretary Neall (Maryland state health department) issued a Directive and Order stating that health care providers shall prioritize COVID-19 test orders to the following groups:
A. Hospitalized patients, who should be tested by the most expeditious means available
(either a hospital lab, private lab, or the State Laboratory);
B. Symptomatic Emergency Medical Service Personnel, healthcare workers, and law
enforcement personnel;
C. Symptomatic patients in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, or in congregate living
facilities housing individuals who are medically fragile; OR
D. Symptomatic high-risk unstable patients whose care would be altered by a diagnosis of COVID-19.
MDH cannot accept lower priority specimens for testing at this time.

We did get notification today from a private lab that with process ‘self pay’ patients’ labs through. The corona virus test is about $180 a kit. Not cheap!

There are also several testing locations in Howard county and if you call the office we can give you their contact information. They however will be following the secretary’s directives and require a consultation before they will do the test.
More next time!

No comments:

Post a Comment