This is a tip that a Doctor friend on Facebook posted, so I thought I would pass it on.
The best advice I can give to people who think they may have Coronavirus Covid-19, if you have traveled to the affected countries, or have been in contact with someone who may have had the Covid-19, or came from the said countries, and by now affected cities, you have fever, cough, shortness of breath, please please please, do not walk into a clinic or an emergency room. This is how the virus is spread. Stay home and quarantine yourself from family, friends, and work. Please get in touch with your primary care physician. The doctor may need to discuss the case with the health department and determine if testing is necessary. If it is deemed necessary to go to the emergency room in the even of worsening symptoms, this must be arranged with the emergency room so that they are prepared to receive you or your loved one.
As testing availability changes, so will the recommendations. As it stands, testing in some areas are done based on risks.
Some measures to take:
-WASH HANDS frequently
-avoid large group meetings and gatherings, such as movies, games, concerts
-avoid non-emergent travel
-if you do not have to be in the hospitals or clinics, avoid routine visits such as physicals.
-avoid visiting nursing homes if you may be sick. This population is at greatest risk
-WASH HANDS.
-follow school guidelines about attendance.
-If you’re sick, stay away from the most vulnerable people, the elderly, who have multiple medical conditions, people with chronic kidney disease, heart disease, asthma, COPD and immune disorders. These are the individuals that we must protect as they are at the highest risk for complications.
-WASH HANDS
-Avoid touching door handles directly when possible by using your knuckles
-Avoid shaking hands, it isn’t rude. I have been telling my patients and they understand, please it also reminds them.
-press elevator buttons with your knuckles.
-Carry Hand sanitizer with you. Every time you touch a door or anything in public, use the sanitizer.
-wipe contaminated surfaces with Clorox wipes. We don’t exactly know how long the virus stays active in surfaces but it’s a few hours. Yet it hasn’t been proven if there is ant transmission from the surface to people. The most common transmission is still from people to people via respiratory droplets.
-Avoid rubbing your face, touching your mouth, biting your nails