7 Essential Steps to Take After Testing Positive For COVID-19
Step #6: Get ready to stay at home
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says you can spend only 10 days in isolation if you’re asymptomatic or if you have mild symptoms. Specialists agree with leaving the house after 10 days if you could spend at least 24 hours without developing a fever and without the aid of fever-reducing medicine.
If your symptoms are more severe, you might even need to spend as much as 20 days in isolation as it has happened with many COVID-19 patients in the past. Once again, staying in close contact with your primary physician can help you evaluate your condition and figure out when you can safely go out again.
Of course, the most certain way of knowing that you can safely approach other people is to receive a negative COVID-19 test. However, I know not everybody can afford to keep testing themselves over and over again, which is why self-evaluation is so important.
This brings me to my final point…
Step #7: Know when you need hospitalization
You might be asymptomatic the entire time and not cough once. You might have mild symptoms that never go beyond a slight discomfort. These are the luckiest scenarios we may imagine regarding a COVID-19 infection.
However, we must also acknowledge the possibility that it can always get worse – and it did get worse even for people who were feeling great at first, or for perfectly healthy individuals.
Here are the concerning signs that should send you to the hospital, according to the CDC:
- Sudden, unexplained chest pain
- Shortness of breath or dizziness
- An inability to wake up or stay awake
- Grey or blue lips (this signals a lack of oxygen)
If you experience at least one of the symptoms mentioned above, it’s time to seek medical assistance immediately. You can call your primary care physician to receive guidance on getting to a hospital safely or the 911 dispatcher directly.
If you feel anything out of the ordinary (literally anything) let your doctor know to avoid any possible complications or just get some piece of mind.
COVID-19 can manifest itself in some truly strange ways; in this post, I talk about 5 strange coronavirus symptoms you might miss too.
Looking for more useful COVID-19 resources to stay safe (and sane)? Check out our posts below:
- Scheduled for COVID-19 Vaccine? Here’s What to Do Before Your Appointment
- COVID-19 Symptoms May Show Up in This Order, Researchers Find
- 4 Innovative Apps to Keep Your Loved Ones Close During COVID-19
