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Advice on what do to PREPARE for if you DO get coronavirus (many of us will)
We realise that many of you will get COVID-19 with mild symptoms and may need to self-isolate for 2 weeks or more while you are unwell.
General advice
You basically just want to prepare as though you know you’re going to get a nasty respiratory bug like bronchitis or pneumonia. You just have the foresight to know it’s coming.
For symptom management, use the meds below mentioned. For a fever, alternate Parecetamol and Ibuprofen so you’re taking a dose of one or the other every 3 hours. Use both cough suppressants and expectorants (most cough meds have both).
Drink, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Rest lots. You should not be leaving your house except to go to the doctor, and if you do, wear a mask (regular is fine, you don’t need an N95).
One major relief to you parents is that kids do VERY well with coronavirus— they usually bounce back in a few days, no one under 18 has died, and almost no kids have required hospitalization (unless they have a lung disease like CF). Just use paediatric dosing of the same meds.
You DO NOT NEED TO GO TO THE A and E, if you think you need help because you are having trouble breathing or your fever is very high and unmanaged with meds then call 111 or 999 for advice and help.
THINGS TO CONSIDER HAVING IN YOUR HOME: Things you should *actually* buy ahead of time:
Tissues (or use toilet paper instead)
Medications
Paracetamol in adult or liquid form (enough for 2 weeks for each person in the home)
Ibuprofen in 200 mg tablets.
Honey and lemon or cough syrup for cough.
If you have a history of asthma and you have a prescription inhaler, make sure the one you have isn’t expired and refill it/get a new one if it is.
A note about Vitamin D
PHE currently advises everybody to take 10micrograms of Vitamin D a day between October and early March.
The Government has recently announced (28th November) that it will be offering millions of vulnerable people in England free supplies of Vitamin D for the winter. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said this is because they are at higher risk of suffering from a Vitamin D deficiency, due to spending more time indoors this year as a precaution against Covid-19. All care homes will automatically receive provision and invitations will be sent to individuals considered clinically extremely vulnerable to Covid to ‘opt in’ for a supply to be delivered directly to their homes. The deliveries, lasting from January until May, will be free of charge. The aim of the winter supplements is to support health in general, but particularly of the bones and muscles.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55108613
New research published by the University of Cantabria last week found that 82.2% of 216 coronavirus patients tested at Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecill were deficient in vitamin D. It also found that men had lower levels of the vitamin than women and that Covid patients with lower vitamin D levels also had raised serum levels of inflammatory markers, such as ferritin and D-dimer. In contrast, out of a control group of people who didn’t have Covid-19, just 47% of people were deficient in vitamin D. However, the research did not find a link between circulating levels of vitamin D and severity of Covid-19 infection, such as ICU admission, the need for mechanical ventilation or mortality. Researchers recommended vitamin D treatment for ‘high-risk individuals’, such as the elderly and patients with comorbidities, as well as Covid-19 patients.
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/advance-article/doi/10.1210/clinem/dgaa733/5934827
Food
You should have a small stock of food and other basic food items at home in order to feed yourself and your family but please do not hoard a lot of food, its not needed.
Cleaning items
You should have some basic cleaning items for cleaning surfaces in the home but please don’t go overboard with this and leave some for others in the supermarket.
Equipment
Humidifier: If you don’t have a humidifier, that would also be a good thing to get. (You can also just turn the shower on hot and sit in the bathroom breathing in the steam).
Thermometer: If you don’t have a thermometer, that would also be a good thing to get.
Home use oximeters are available for sale online and in chemists. These can be used to measure the levels of oxygen in your blood. There is some evidence to suggest the use of oxygen monitors can be useful in cases of COVID-19 at home. See the information below:
Self-monitoring your blood pressure, oxygen levels and temperature at home
Consider donating to the food bank some of the stuff you buy and share with others less fortunate than yourself.
Outcomes from getting Coronavirus
90% of healthy adult cases thus far have been managed at home with basic rest/hydration/over-the-counter meds.
We don’t want to clog the A and E or 111 or ambulances unless you’re actually in distress. The hospital beds will be used for people who actively need oxygen/breathing treatments/IV fluids.
If you have a pre-existing lung condition (COPD, emphysema, lung cancer) or are on immunosuppressants, please call the surgery to talk to your nurse or GP or call your specialist about a plan of what to do if you get sick.
One major relief to you parents is that kids do VERY well with coronavirus— they usually bounce back in a few days, no one under 18 has died, and almost no kids have required hospitalization (unless they have a lung disease like CF). Just use pediatric dosing of the same meds.
If you would like advice
Call 111 for advice if you think you may have coronavirus.
If you have a long term condition and would like some specific advice
Call the surgery on 01584 872939, but emailing might be quicker and easier at busy times
Email the surgery on the link below: