What Precautions Can You Take To Avoid Contracting COVID-19?
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) quickly became a global pandemic and has been responsible, so far, for infecting 5.8 million and claiming the lives of more than 350,000. While certain medications initially garnered attention as potential treatment options, further studies failed to demonstrate great promise but did demonstrate the need to reduce the cytokine storm experienced by patients with this potentially life-threatening virus. Unfortunately, there is no cure on the horizon, but members of the medical community are beginning to evaluate the potential role of vitamins and supplements as potential treatment options or addition to other treatments. The goal of this narrative review is to evaluate current and ongoing clinical trials of vitamins and supplements, alone or in combination with each other or other therapies, for the treatment of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)
A person can treat a mild case of COVID-19 at home. Although home treatment will not cure COVID-19, it can help relieve the symptoms a person is experiencing.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes COVID-19.
In this article, we look at what to do if a person contracts SARS-CoV-2. We also discuss how a person can treat their symptoms at home.
When to seek emergency help?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source advise that a person seek emergency medical attention if they are showing any of the following signs:
difficulty breathing
persistent pressure or pain in the chest
bluish face or lips
new confusion
inability to stay awake or wake up
It is important that a person calls ahead to the local emergency facility to inform them that they are seeking care for someone who may have COVID-19.
Is the home treatment effective?
The CDC Trusted Source defines a mild illness as having “any of the various signs and symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g., fever, cough, sore throat, malaise, headache, muscle pain) without shortness of breath, dyspnea, or abnormal chest imaging.”
They also state that a person can treat a mild illness at home. People should also monitor their symptoms and keep a doctor updated. A doctor can instruct a person when to go to the emergency room and what specific home treatments might work best for them.
A person who has COVID-19 should also:
stay home until a doctor clears them for contact with others
avoid other people in the home as much as possible
frequently wash their hands and cover their cough to avoid spreading the disease to others in the house
wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth when in contact or close quarters with other people.
What Can Be A Proper Home treatment?
A number of home treatments may help manage symptoms of COVID-19.
These treatments do not cure the disease, but they may make a person more comfortable.
Fever, aches, and pains
A person can take acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, as they can help relieve fever and ease muscle aches and pains.
A person should also ensure that they drink plenty of fluids to help prevent dehydration.
Initially, some people were concerned that ibuprofen might worsen COVID-19. However, there is no scientific evidence rested Source to support this claim.
A healthcare professional can advise a person on how to treat their symptoms. However, the CDC Trusted Source recommends:
getting plenty of rest
remaining hydrated
taking over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as acetaminophen.
Cough
Coughing is the body’s way of trying to clear the airways.
The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) advises that people with a cough avoid lying on their back. Instead, they should sit up or lie on their side.
To help ease coughing, a person can try the following:
drinking plenty of water or warm beverages to soothe the throat, prevent dehydration, and thin the mucus
sucking on cough drops
using a humidifier at night
Some people may also find relief by breathing in steam. To do this, they can sit in the shower or on the bathroom floor with a hot shower running.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, include:
Fever (a temperature above 37.8°C or skin which feels hot to touch).
A new, continuous cough.
A loss of or change to your sense of smell or taste.
Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
Fatigue.
Headaches.
Sore throat.
Aches and pains.
If you experience fever, lose your sense of smell or taste or develop a new continuous cough, you should self-isolate immediately. Those experiencing a mild illness don't need to seek medical attention, but you should book a test online. You can use the NHS 111 online tool to check your symptoms and find out what to do.
You should use the NHS 111 tool again or call NHS 111 to find out what to do next if:
You cannot cope with your symptoms at home.
Your condition gets worse.
You still have a fever, are feeling generally unwell, or have other symptoms after a week.
You are unable to do everyday tasks such as looking at your phone, reading, or getting out of bed.
If you have any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, call your health care provider or COVID-19 hotline for instructions and find out when and where to get a test, stay at home for 14 days away from others and monitor your health.
If you have shortness of breath or pain or pressure in the chest, seek medical attention at a health facility immediately. Call your health care provider or hotline in advance for directions to the right health facility.
If you live in an area with malaria or dengue fever, seek medical care if you have a fever.
If local guidance recommends visiting a medical center for testing, assessment, or isolation, wear a medical mask while traveling to and from the facility and during medical care. Also, keep at least a 1-meter distance from other people and avoid touching surfaces with your hands. This applies to adults and children.
Are there Treatments for COVID-19?
Scientists around the world are working to find and develop treatments for COVID-19.
Optimal supportive care includes oxygen for severely ill patients and those who are at risk for severe disease and more advanced respiratory support such as ventilation for patients who are critically ill.
Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid that can help reduce the length of time on a ventilator and save the lives of patients with a severe and critical illness.
Results from the WHO’s Solidarity Trial indicated that remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, and interferon regimens appear to have little or no effect on 28-day mortality or the in-hospital course of COVID-19 among hospitalized patients.
Hydroxychloroquine has not been shown to offer any benefit for the treatment of COVID-19.
WHO does not recommend self-medication with any medicines, including antibiotics, as a prevention or cure for COVID-19. WHO is coordinating efforts to develop treatments for COVID-19 and will continue to provide new information as it becomes available.
Are Antibiotics effective in Preventing or Treating COVID-19?
Antibiotics do not work against viruses; they only work on bacterial infections. COVID-19 is caused by a virus, so antibiotics do not work. Antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment of COVID-19.
In hospitals, physicians will sometimes use antibiotics to prevent or treat secondary bacterial infections which can be a complication of COVID-19 in severely ill patients. They should only be used as directed by a physician to treat a bacterial infection.
Conclusion
Death during this time is so painful. It is true that we are not seeing man-made gruesome killings, typical of scenes from wars or battlefields — which are very painful and heartbreaking. Thankfully, we may have seen a transient ceasing of such cruel scenes, we hope, where humans kill humans. Let us all pray that this ceasing will last forever, where humans live in peace forever. Let all humans learn that we are now in a new era, an era where all humans all around the world have fallen vulnerable to a very little bug. It is not even a cell, just a mere, tiny thing without a nucleus, with a few chains of molecules — a merciless killer virus, called COVID-19.
