Dear Dr. Toshi,
I was just told that I tested positive for COVID-19. Can you tell me how to take care of myself at home?
As you've probably been hearing in the news, North Dakota is currently the number one "hotspot" in the United States for the COVID-19 pandemic. It's spreading fast, and more people are getting sick and dying here every day. Fortunately, most people (about 80%) with COVID-19 can be treated at home. We'll take a look at what you can do at home if you've been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have symptoms.
The first thing to remember about COVID-19 is that a huge amount of research has been done and is still going on, so many recommendations, including those about treatment, are changing as we speak. If you want the latest information and recommendations, check out the CDC website and your state health department website.
Here are some tips to follow when you have COVID-19 and are fighting it at home.
- Stay home except to get medical care. Don't go to the grocery store, drugstore, church, or anywhere else. Ask a friend or relative to run errands for you. You can also have your groceries delivered to you; most grocery stores offer this service now.
- Self-isolate from people, including family members and pets! You should use a separate bathroom if possible. Stay in a specific room alone. Use your own bath products and other household items such as towels, toothpaste, etc. Eat meals in your room. Wear a mask when you need to talk to your family members and even your pets (yes, your pets!), and keep social distancing of 6 feet.
- Monitor your symptoms (e.g., fever, chills, shortness of breath, or cough) and take your temperature twice a day and write it down. Medically speaking, a fever is 100.4 degrees or higher, but with COVID-19 people often have low-grade temperatures that are lower than 100.4. If you develop life-threating symptoms such as difficulty breathing (gasping for air, being unable to talk without catching your breath, severe wheezing, flaring nostrils, breathing much faster than usual), bluish-colored lips or face, severe chest pain or chest pressure, confusion, slurred speech, signs of low blood pressure (too weak to stand, dizziness or lightheadedness, pale or clammy skin, feeling cold), or dehydration (dry lips and mouth, not urinating very much, sunken eyes), or other concerning symptoms, then immediately call your local clinic, the ER, or 911. With those life-threatening symptoms, you need to be seen by a doctor right away.
- If your symptoms continue to get worse but aren't immediately life-threatening, contact your clinic or hospital.
- Using disinfectant to wipe surfaces clean at least once a day. Such areas include things like doorknobs, countertops, phones, remote controls, bathroom fixtures, toilets, computer keyboards, tablets, tabletops, and bedside tables.
- Wash your hands often with soap, especially after sneezing, coughing, or blowing your nose using tissue. Also, be sure to change your kitchen towel daily.
- Keep well-hydrated. This is particularly important if you have a fever. Drink at least eight glasses of fluids a day (unless you've specifically been told not to by your provider/doctor because of a medical condition such as congestive heart failure).
- If you lose your appetite, try to make yourself at least eat small, frequent meals.
- If you have shortness of breath, sleep face-down, not on your back. Contact your provider/doctor if you start having difficulty breathing. Shortness of breath can develop four to eight days after the onset of other symptoms. It can even happen after ten days. You can develop pneumonia from COVID-19, so keep that in mind, too.
- You can take zinc 50 mg tablets by mouth twice a day, vitamin C 1000 IU twice a day, vitamin D 4000 IU a day, and probiotics 50-100 billion colony-forming units a day. Studies show that zinc works as a preventive measure for the common cold. Vitamin C is water soluble so if you take too much, it's just eliminated in your urine. You can overdose on vitamin D, so lower the dose to 2000 IU when you no longer have symptoms unless you have a vitamin D deficiency to begin with.These are what some people are recommending, but their efficacy is unknown, except for zinc. (Also, some studies show that vitamin D deficiency is bad for people who have COVID-19.)
- Use Tylenol for fever and body aches. Ibuprofen also works, but Tylenol is preferred for COVID-19.
- Children should NOT take any aspirin because it can cause a life-threatening condition called Reye's syndrome! However, adults can take a baby aspirin daily to help prevent blood clots.
- Do NOT use hydroxychloroquine without discussing it with your provider AND getting a prescription. It was removed from the FDA's emergency use authorization back in June because it doesn't work for COVID-19 and because it has serious safety concerns. It has side effects that can be very dangerous or even fatal.
- Inform your close contacts that you have COVID-19. Remember that the infectious period starts two days (48 hours) before you have any symptoms or test positive.
There are also prescription drugs for COVID-19 that very sick people can take, so if you have questions about this, ask your medical provider/doctor.
Dr. Toshiko (Toshi) Luckow, MD is a Family Medicine physician at the West River Health Services hospital and clinics.