Covid-19
COVID UPDATES 12/2020
PRECAUTIONS: HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF WHEN GOING OUT
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/need-to-know.html
● Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth to help protect yourself and others.
● Choose a mask with two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric that fits snugly against the sides of your face.
● Stay 6 feet apart and avoid crowds.
● The more people you are in contact with, the more likely you are to be exposed to COVID-19.
● Avoid indoor spaces as much as possible, particularly ones that aren’t well ventilated.
● You may find it harder to stay 6 feet apart in indoor spaces.
● Wash your hands often.
● Use soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place or hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.
● DO NOT WEAR GLOVES. GLOVES CAN NOT BE WASHED AND THIS CREATES MORE GERM SPREAD.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE SICK
● Stay home except to get medical care. Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and recover at home without medical care.
● Isolate yourself from other members of your family to prevent spread to them and the people that they may have contact with, like grandparents.
● If you have to leave isolation, wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart from others, wash your hands frequently, and clean all touched surfaces.
● Even if you don’t feel sick, you can spread COVID-19 to others. Be sure that you protect everyone as though they are the most fragile person in your family.
● Get care immediately if you are having emergency warning signs, like trouble breathing, pain or pressure in your chest.
● The incubation period for COVID-19 is thought to extend to 14 days, with a median time of 4-5 days from exposure to symptoms onset.(1-3) One study reported that 97.5% of people with COVID-19 who have symptoms will do so within 11.5 days of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
HOW TO GET A TEST FOR A CURRENT INFECTION
● You can visit your state or local health department’s website to look for the latest local information on testing.
● If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and want to get tested, call your healthcare provider first.
● If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and choose to not get tested, it is important to stay home. Find out what to do if you are sick.
Currently at Soluna, we are very limited on testing supplies.
Testing isn’t something to “just do” and there are guidelines for testing set by the CDC, AZ Department of Health and Maricopa County Health Department.
We, Healthcare providers, are held to these standards and all testing and symptoms
are tracked.
SYMPTOMS TO WATCH OUT FOR
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are:
● Fever
● Cough
● Headaches
● Fatigue
● Muscle or body aches
● Loss of taste or smell
● Sore throat
● Nausea
● Diarrhea
Other symptoms are signs of serious illness. If someone has trouble breathing, chest pain or pressure, or difficulty staying awake, get medical care immediately.
SYMPTOM SELF CHECKER – CDC LINK
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/coronavirus-self-checker.html
QUARANTINE GUIDELINES:
CDC has updated their quarantine guidelines and has shortened the time to 10 days.
You can be with others after
● At least 10 days since symptoms first appeared and
● At least 24 hours with no fever without fever-reducing medication and
● Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving
**Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation
If you had severe illness from COVID-19 (you were admitted to a hospital and needed oxygen), your healthcare provider may recommend that you stay in isolation for longer than 10 days after your symptoms first appeared (possibly up to 20 days) and you may need to finish your period of isolation at home.
If you continue to have no symptoms, you can be with others after:
● 10 days have passed since the date you had your positive test
If you develop symptoms after testing positive, follow the guidance above for “I think or know I had COVID, and I had symptoms.”
QUARANTINE means stay at home, not run errands you weren’t able to get you.
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY POINTS:
If you have symptoms as mentioned above, you may get tested.
Please use this link for testing locations in Maricopa County:
The MOST important pieces to this are:
1: Make sure your breathing is NOT compromised. Are you short of breath? Is it difficult to walk across the house? You need to be seen in a medical appointment
2: Do you have a fever? If you have a temp of 101.5 F, take acetaminophen or ibuprofen. IF you are unable to control your temperature, you need to be seen in a medical appointment. COVID is a virus, antibiotics are not the treatment and each case is treated specific to the person.
3: I am 100% AGAINST self testing. Healthcare providers are trained and we are continuously reading the new guidelines, science behind treatments, testing and managing patients.
4: Retesting is NOT recommended after a positive diagnosis. The is repeated documented in all the guidelines Internationally.
5: Employers are not following the quarantine guidelines. Patients are to empower themselves and read the CDC updates. EEOC is now involved. We will NOT retest nor will we write any letters to go back to work or regarding mask use. Our practice is based on the guidelines presented to us and the studies published.
6: To reiterate, the virus incubates in our bodies 5-7 days before symptoms. If someone in your household has tested positive, you already have been exposed. At this point, testing without symptoms is not recommended.
7: Statistically, patients recover and feel like they have the flu or a cold. PREVENTION IS THE KEY!