By now, all of us have become quite knowledgeable about COVID-19 in general, its symptoms, vaccines, treatments etc. and are also aware of the fact that the overall number of COVID cases is much lower than that during the first and second waves. Notwithstanding the possible resurgence due to the omicron variant, most of us have been taking a somewhat lax attitude towards common sense protection and safety measures. IMHO, that’s really concerning – specially with my family and I just having had very close encounters with this infamous virus…
Starting around the third week of Oct and then becoming a major issue right at Diwali in the first week of Nov, three of us in the family went through what’s being called ‘breakthrough infections’ with one of us requiring a five-day hospitalization due to lungs being affected and requiring the full course of the standard REMDESIVIR treatment with O2 support etc. The other two had milder symptoms and recovered at home.
Hence these words to the wise based on our recent experiences… (Just word(s), not to be construed as medical or any kind of advice! As always – YMMV )
- Make sure every member in your household – including maids or other help – have taken both doses of vaccinations and the booster (if available in your location).
- Ensure you are following all COVID protocols (masking, distancing etc.) to the extent possible and at all times – specially when outside in public places.
- DO NOT ignore any cough/colds/headaches/nausea/diarrhea etc. that last for more than two-three days. See your family doctor right away.
- If these symptoms continue
- Measure the SPO2 levels using any commonly available oximeter. If the levels are less then equal to 91, monitor more frequently. Low SPO2 levels are generally the first indication that there may be a covid infection.
- Get a RT-PCR test done, even if your doctor thinks it’s not needed. In our case, the doctor felt (rightly so at the time) that it was simply a case of a bad throat infection and treated it with antibiotics. That helped two of us, but no medication worked on the third who ended up requiring hospitalization.
- If you do test positive for covid and you are fully vaccinated
- Do not panic !
- In most situations, one wouldn’t need hospitalization and given the time, the viral load will go away on its own – although some symptoms may need to be treated.
- In case hospitalization is needed
- Medications and necessary diagnostics like CT scans are readily available and doctors know how to manage these cases.
- Standard treatment is for 5 days, but more may be needed depending on individual situations.
- Arrange for an O2 concentrator or cylinder at home since in some cases, O2 support may be needed for a few days after returning from hospital. Doctors may or may not advise about this, but good to keep it ready in case needed.
- After recovery with or without hospitalization, be prepared for an extended period where one may experience lot of weakness, general irritability, bad/bitter taste or no taste, some mild cough etc. All these will go away, given time and lots of rest.
- Finally, DO NOT underestimate the post-recovery rest – it’s really important not to get excited and take on a lot of physical activities very early during the recovery phase – although mild exercises and/or any lung exercises as advised by doctors are obviously ok.
I hope you found the above useful… Keep safe everyone !