If you have developed the symptoms this new coronavirus that has caused COVID19 disease, a pandemic of current time worldwide then you need to take care of some important things so that you can easily cope up with its symptoms and reduce the risk of spreading it to others as it is a highly contagious disease.

Are you are concerned about your current health status with the symptoms like fever, cough, breathing difficulties which are the primary signs of COVID19 then you must consider the step by step recommended guide and suggestion by the CDC on what to do next if you have developed coronavirus.

In most of the cases, the symptoms of this new coronavirus remain mild including mild level fever and a slight cough and goes off on its own when you maintain self-isolation for the recommended duration by the healthcare providers and monitor your symptoms like its improvement trend over the isolation period.

However, the cases where symptoms are serious like difficulty in respiration or chest pain and other symptoms as well do not improve with time then without making further delay you should immediately seek medical attention and most probably hospitalization is required.

Other proactive measures must be taken to ensure that it won’t spread in the community. The risk factor increases in the cases where someone lives in an area where flu-like diseases such as malaria and dengue fever are persisting at present. Any patient with these health conditions at the current time contains the risk of developing severe level symptoms of coronavirus.

Apart from that people with a special health condition such as patient of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, certain repository conditions, etc also comes in the high-risk group people. However, under any condition, you should follow the below-mentioned steps in order to cope up with this health issue and to reduce its spreading risk to others.

Steps to be Followed If You Think You May Have Coronavirus:

Stay at Home and Call Your Health Care Provider

In most cases, people with COVID19 disease have mild symptoms so they can recover their own at home without taking any medical attention. In such cases, people should not leave their homes for any reason and go in public areas except when they have to get medical care or have an appointment with the doctor.

The affected person should take rest and hydrate themselves by drinking plenty amount of water every day. For the relief of the mild symptoms, you may take an over-the-counter medication such as acetaminophen. It helps you to feel better.

Isolate yourself for the period as per your local health department guideline. Don’t go to your work, school, or college or any other public place until you get fully recovered to avoid spreading the illness or catching the symptoms in case you have not yet developed the symptoms of COVID19 from other infected people. For this avoid using public transportation even at the time when you have an appointment with your doctor.

The cases where a person has severe symptoms or feel like they should seek medical care then before going to the healthcare provider directly should call them first in order to describe the symptoms you are facing so that the healthcare specialist can understand your current symptoms and the doctor may guide you something accordingly before you actually reach the health center.

Assess Your Risk Level Based on Important Questions

If you are concerned about your symptoms which resemble the presence of this new coronavirus disease then without making much delay you should call the nearest possible health care facility. The healthcare personnel will ask you some questions which will help them in determining your risk for COVID19 disease.

Some common risk factors include your recent visit to certain countries or areas of the U.S. or recent exposure to an infected person in any form. The question that you may be asked while making a call to a healthcare center include-

Are you experiencing cough, fever, breathing shortness, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, muscle aches, and loss of taste or smell?
Have you had recent contact with anyone diagnosed with the COVID19 disease? Here close contact means having less than 6 feet distance from the said suspected person for an extended time or while contacting the infected person had coughed or sneezed in front of you.
Does any public health officer has told you that you have had potential exposure to the COVID19?

Strictly Follow the Instructions of Your Healthcare Provider

When you call a healthcare provider before actually visiting the healthcare center they will give you some instructions over the phone based on the answers that you have given for the asked questions. Based on your answers the instructor will recommend you the following things-

Usually, the healthcare provider recommends to continue monitoring your health and symptoms and call at the moment you develop fever or have respiratory symptoms.
They will ask you to stay at home and wait for further instructions.
You may be told if you need to be evaluated. If this needed then you will be asked to call respective medical care units for evaluation and treatment. If possible go alone for the evaluation test or treatment. Avoid taking children with you or any other family member unless it is impossible for you to handle yourself alone.
In case of severe symptoms such as higher-level fever and severe difficulty in breathing go to the clinic or emergency department immediately along with your caregiver.

Clean all the High-Touch Surfaces at Your Home Everyday

As the new coronavirus can easily live on many different surfaces for a certain period hence contain the high risk to infect a healthy person when they touch these contaminated surface areas and then touch their mouth or eyes without properly washing or sanitizing their hands.

Every day thoroughly clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in your living room, sick room, and bathroom. Make sure that you own self clean your bedroom and bathroom and let the common areas be cleaned by someone else.

In case someone has to clean and disinfect the bedroom and bathroom of a coronavirus infected person then make sure that you do this only when it is necessary not a very frequent basis. Also, take care of all the prevention or safety measures while handling an infected person and their belongings.

The caregiver should always wear a face mask and hand gloves while coming in contact with the sick person. They should patiently wait as long as it is possible after an infected person has used the bathroom.

Some common high touch surfaces include doorknobs, tabletops, counters, bathroom fixtures, phones, remote controls, keyboards, toilets, and tables. These surfaces must be cleaned and disinfected every day without fail.

Also thoroughly clean and disinfect the areas at your home that may have body fluids, stool, and blood. For this, you can use any household cleaners and disinfectants. If any area is dirty then first clean it with a detergent or soap and water first then and only disinfect it.

While using any household cleaner and disinfectant read its label very carefully before using it directly for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the said product. There are some products that require a surface to remain wet for several minutes to ensure that the germs are killed properly.

Other than that some products recommend the precaution of wearing gloves as well as having good ventilation during the usage of the product. You can use EPA-registered household products as these are quite effective ones.

Follow Hand Hygiene Habits

Wash your hands too often with soap and water at least for 20 seconds or more. The hand hygiene activities get more crucial when you blow your nose, or after sneezing, coughing, and using the bathroom. Also wash your hands properly before eating, cooking food, and while serving foods to yourself or others.

You can use alcohol-based hand sanitizer having 60% alcohol minimum at your home or while away from the home place where soap and water are not available. While using the sanitizer make sure you cover all surfaces of your hands, rub them together until you feel dry completely. In case your hands are visibly dirty then using soap and water is the best option here for cleaning your hands properly.

Make sure that you do not touch your nose, eyes, and mouth with your unwashed hands. So do not share your household items with others such as drinking glasses, dishes, eating utensils, cups, bedding, and towels even with other family members. These things are personal so they should be used by you only. Wash these personal household items with soap and water thoroughly then and only you can use it further.

Practice Respiratory Etiquette

Coronavirus can easily spread through the infected patient’s droplets. So to avoid this risk you must follow or practice the respiratory etiquette including-

Make sure that you cover your mouth and nose while coughing and sneezing.
While coughing or sneezing do so at the bend of your elbow instead of your hand.
Use tissue paper while sneezing or coughing or blowing nose and throw out your used tissue in a lined trash can.
Clean your hands with soap and water immediately after sneezing or coughing or blowing your nose at least for 20 seconds.
If soap and water are not available then sanitize your hand with alcohol-based sanitizer at least 60% alcohol.
In case you go to a care facility for isolation then wear a mask every time so that your coughs and sneezes would not infect others.

Avoid Using Public Transportation

In order to reduce the risk of transmitting coronavirus to or from others, you should avoid using public transportations such as buses, taxi, rickshaw, or ride-sharing.

For ensuring that you isolate yourself properly try to use a separate bathroom, stay in a single room, and stay away from other people including pets in your home. In case you need to talk with other people at your home then make sure that you wear your face mask while having a conversation with them.

Wear Only Long Sleeved and Fully Covered Clothes

If you are developing the symptoms of coronavirus then to prevent the risk of spreading this virus to other family members and even outsiders who come in your close contact make sure that you wear a protective cloth that can cover your nose and mouth when you are around other people as well as animals.

However, if you stay alone at your home then you need not require to wear face-covering cloth. In case you have certain respiratory concerns then you need not require wearing a face-covering cloth, instead of that, you can use other methods to cover your coughs and sneezes as it contains infectious droplets.

Maintain at least 6 feet distancing from others when you are around others including pets at your homes and even outside animals. This move will ensure the protection of others around you. In this regard, it is crucial to mention here that the cloth face covering should not be put on your children aging under 2 years.

Also if anyone is incapable of removing these covered clothes without other’s assistance for them also other protective measures should be applied instead of this fully covered cloth. Remember in this current era pandemic the medical-grade face masks must be reserved for the healthcare workers of all units and the general population should use easily available facemasks including homemade cloth face mask.

Don’t Get Panic

Though in the COVID19 pandemic the risk of contracting this contagious illness is very fearsome but it can cope up with a calm mind and patience. The healthcare workers including doctors and nurses are learning something new every day about this infectious disease which raises the hope of inventing an effective treatment and prevention solution of this new coronavirus disease in the near future.

The first-hand responders such as caregivers etc too should stay in a calm mind as with panic mind you can’t fight back this illness which needs isolation for a prolonged period. The top-level healthcare providers are working together in-corporation with national and international agencies to evaluate the best possible care and treatment plan for the patients and to prevent the spreading of illness within the community.

Simply follow the above-mentioned steps by step guide and solution if you are worried about your current health symptoms and eager to know that what to do next if you have developed coronavirus. It will not only help you in surviving this battle successfully but will also prevent the spreading risk of COVID19 disease to others.

Immediately contact your healthcare provider if you develop severe symptoms of this highly contagious disease such as severe trouble in breathing, or pressure or pain, and in the chest. This new coronavirus disease is life-threatening if necessary medical help is not provided to patients in case of severe symptoms so there is no room for any negligence.

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Things to be Done If You Think You Have the Coronavirus