How to act from the first symptoms of a possible case of coronavirus

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Until yesterday, there were no signs of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in your home, but today you may have woken up with a dry cough and a few tenths of a fever. What should you do? First of all, tranquility. They are mild symptoms and the only recommendation you have to follow is to stay home and contact health services through the telephone number enabled in your autonomous community.

It will be the staff that attends you on the other end of the phone who will evaluate all the data and decide whether or not to perform isolation for a possible case of Covid-19 . From that moment a commitment is established to make follow-up calls consisting of active surveillance (they must be reachable at all times) and thus continue to assess the evolution. As Fernando Simón, the director of Health Alerts and Emergencies, recognized this Tuesday, tests are not being carried out on the slightest cases in order to attend to other priorities, such as patients hospitalized or with criteria for hospital admission and social and health professionals or other essential services with symptoms). The novelty, however, is that "we are preparing the logistics so that in the next two or three days they are done."

Meanwhile, if insulation is indicated in one of the rooms in the house, some advice would be given such as good ventilation, closing the door and the individual use of a bathroom, if possible. You should not receive visitors, you will avoid distances of less than two meters with your cohabitants , you will have a telephone available, hand hygiene products and a pedal bin. The same recommendations would be made in the event that the test is performed, tests positive and symptoms are mild.

Also, to avoid contagion from people living with you as much as possible, you should cover up when you cough and sneeze with a tissue, throw it in the trash, and wash your hands. You will not be able to share towels, glasses, plates, cutlery or a toothbrush. You will need to wear the mask if you go out into common spaces and clean frequently touched surfaces daily.

It is important to remember that no person with risk factors for complications , such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cancer or chronic respiratory problems, should care for you at home . Whoever shares space with you will have to wash their hands frequently, put on a mask, wear gloves for any contact with secretions, use a dishwasher and wash clothes at 60-90 degrees.

Your case will likely resolve within a couple of days with no further complications, although isolation should be maintained for 14 days after initial symptoms. It is estimated that 80% of infections occur with mild symptoms and resolve on their own.

However, it could also be one of the people who are in that 20% of more complexity . You would feel short of breath, worsening, or any other symptoms that are serious. If so, you will have to call 112. Already here, the diagnostic test would be carried out and possible hospital admission would be considered, according to the individualized clinical evaluation.

Professionals who rejoin before

But if instead of just any citizen, we are talking about a health professional, the action protocol has been updated this week. Theoretically, for any symptoms, they are undergoing the diagnostic test. What differentiates this protocol from the previous one is that when a professional has been in close contact with a possible, probable or confirmed case without personal protective equipment, they will withdraw from their activity for 14 days, but will return if, after seven days, the test is negative. You will not have to complete the entire quarantine. For this, you will be guaranteed the surgical mask and contact gloves.

Professionals who have had the same contact with adequate protection will also continue with their professional practice. Just passive surveillance should be done for symptoms.

In this way, the continuity of healthcare activity is assured in the face of the increase in the flow of patients in hospitals and without risk of contagion, since, according to Simón's statement on Tuesday, the positives "must remain in quarantine for 14 days or at least until get the first negative test. "

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

• Science and health
• Coronavirus
• Covid 19

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