Is COVID-19 like the flu, or worse?
It is wrong to compare coronavirus (COVID-19) with influenza or seasonal respiratory diseases. It is neither worse nor better. Furthermore, it is a virus that in a certain category of the population can cause lung dysfunction, and they may need not just hospital treatment, but a ventilator. Most people who become infected with COVID-19 will have a mild course without complications and will not need to seek medical help.
Who is coronavirus dangerous for?
- People 65+;
- People with severe bronchial asthma;
- People with obesity (body mass index over 40);
- Those who have undergone organ transplantation and are on hemodialysis;
- People with severe forms of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus;
- Those who are undergoing treatment for cancer or have recently completed the course of treatment.
COVID-19 symptoms
Does the temperature have to be high, or can it be 37 °C? How to recognize early symptoms so as not to prolong the disease?
- Coughing;
- Rarely diarrhea;
- Worsening of cough if you have been coughing for a long time;
- Increased temperature (above 37.5 °C);
- Sneezing and profuse mucous discharge from the nose.
What to use for the floor cleaning for disinfection from COVID-19?
Use a diluted solution of sodium hypochlorite. It’s a bleach. Check carefully the components of the product. It should contain sodium hypochlorite, 15-30%.
Dilute it strictly according to the instructions. Do not try to make the concentration stronger “to kill the coronavirus for sure”. You can get your respiratory tract burned and become more vulnerable to COVID-19. It is forbidden to mix several types of disinfectants. I received a lot of questions in personal messages, such as “can I mix Domestos and bleach to make it stronger”! Such actions are extremely dangerous for your respiratory tract!!!!
I wear a mask. Will it protect me?
- Do not touch the mask with your hands while wearing it on your face;
- If you are not infected, you need to properly put on and take off the mask only if you are taking care of a patient with coronavirus;
- If you are not infected, do not wear a mask just to prevent infection, because it can increase the risk of it;
- Wear a mask if you sneeze and cough. The mask will keep mucus particles containing the virus and will not allow it to fly within a radius of 1.5-2 meters from you. Remember that the mask itself becomes a source of infection, so take it off properly and immediately throw it in the trash;
- Masks are effective only if you put them on with clean washed hands and regularly wash your hands for 20 seconds with liquid soap or antiseptic containing at least 60% alcohol.
My husband goes to work, I am at home. How to protect him and me?
Coronavirus does not live in the air. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, the virus with mucus particles does not hang in the air, but settles on the surface within a radius of 1.5-2 meters.
If you or your spouse need to get to work or any other place, follow these rules:
- Do not touch your face;
- Do not touch the handrails in the public places, buttons in the elevator, door handles;
- When have reached your destination, wash your hands with liquid soap for 20 seconds;
- Also, after blowing your nose, immediately wash your hands with liquid soap for 20 seconds;
- Get to work on foot. It has been proven that daily walking for at least 60 minutes at an average pace has a positive effect on your insulin and prevents the development of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome and diabetes;
- Wipe all work surfaces (desk, keyboard, phone, floor) every 3–4 hours. Use a diluted solution of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) in the cleaning. I remind you that the content of sodium hypochlorite should be 15-30%.
Does COVID-19 live on surfaces, in the air? For example, in an elevator?
No, it does not live in the air!
It lives on any surface. There is no exact data on how long exactly. Some official sources say that the virus lives for a couple of hours, other scientists say 7–14 days.
Why is it important to stay at home and not go out?
It is crucial that numerous people do not get infected at the same time, so the health care system can provide quality medical care. Remember that the majority of sick people has COVID-19 that do not require hospitalization, but only abundant water drinking and paracetamol when the temperature rises to 38.5 °C and above.
Can I have sex, kiss?
If there are no signs of the disease, yes!
Be sure to hug each other at least 7 times a day. Support each other. If you feel irritability, anger, powerlessness, tell your partner that he/she is not the cause of these emotions!
The quarantine will pass, but the relationship might be lost! It is natural that you have a feeling of powerlessness or anger or injustice! Just remember that any epidemic has not only a beginning, but also an end! And most of those who are sick will survive it without the need to be hospitalized.
When should you stay at home?
If the following symptoms appear:
- coughing
- fever
- the cough, which bothered before, intensified
Stay at home for at least 7 days. There is no need to go to a medical facility right away. Just call your family doctor and report your complaints.
Please remember, your family doctor is also a human being.
If now every person with a temperature of up to 37.5 °C and a slight malaise calls/writes to the family doctor, he simply will not be able to provide medical care to those who really need it!
If any family member has the above symptoms, it is important for you to stay at home for 14 days from the beginning of the symptoms. All family members who have been in contact with the patient should stay at home in self-isolation for 14 days.
Which COVID-19 symptoms require immediate medical help?
Most people with COVID-19 does not require any special medical interventions other than regular drinking of at least 2.5 liters of clean water until 6 PM. After that time, you can also drink, but consume the main volume before 6 PM.
However, in case of the following symptoms, do not hesitate and consult a doctor:
- If the cough worsens, you feel lack of breath or difficult breathing;
- If the fever after taking antipyretic (paracetamol, for example) does not decrease and remains above 38.5 °C;
- If you notice a significant deterioration in your general health. In particular, it is difficult for you to perform usual physical activities (for example, it is hard to get out of bed).
I feel sick, weak, have runny nose and fever no higher than 37.5 °C! Is it coronavirus? What should I do?
It is not necessarily coronavirus, but you have to stay in self-isolation for 7 days. If it is not possible to isolate yourself in a separate room from other family members, you have to wear a mask!
Wash your hands after each nose blowing, and use disposable paper towels for hands and face.
Drink at least 2.5 liters of water.
If the temperature rises to 38.5 °C, take paracetamol and monitor your well-being.
When to seek medical help, read in the previous paragraph.
And remember, any quarantine/epidemic/pandemic ends! It is a matter of time. Live this time as useful as possible for yourself! Read the books you have been wanting to read for so long…
And be sure to share this information with others to help more people be healthy and happy.
To all 💗
With love, your Natalia Silina,
gynecologist-endocrinologist, UNICEF and UNFPA expert on sexuality education
Check all the updates about COVID-19 at your state healthcare websites.
What to do if you contract COVID-19 during pregnancy, I tell in this article.
You can learn more about your health and body from my courses: A girl becomes a woman, All about you. What it’s like to be a Woman, All about you 35+.
I’m eager to file all of these courses in English, just send me a request to dr.silinaeducation@gmail.com
You can always find your doctor at the Lior Medical Center.
