HOME-CARE TIPS TO SEE YOU THROUGH COVID

CONTRACTING Covid-19 has gone from being a remote possibility to a realistic one, but doctors stress a few pharmacy medicines and a commonsense approach are all most Australians will need to pull through.

According to the federal government, about four out of five Australians infected with Covid will experience only mild or moderate symptoms – although even these levels of illness need good home care.

Experts say the first step is to ensure you have sufficient supplies of pain relief, cough medicine, throat lozenges and those old pandemic staples – masks and sanitiser.

As a positive Covid-19 test mandates an immediate seven-day isolation period, it’s too late to buy those things afterwards.

“A Covid positive preparation is absolutely vital,” said Dr Karen Price, President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

“That means having some Rapid Antigen Test kits on hand, if you can, as well as some analgesics, your favourite paracetamol brand, some Nurofen – unless you are pregnant – a thermometer to monitor your temperature, and throat lozenges to give you symptomatic relief.”

Maintaining fluids was also critically important, she said.

“You can also use preparations like Hydralyte, a balanced electrolyte solution you can get from the chemist,” she said.

But she explicitly advised against sports drinks like Gatorade, as they are “too concentrated”.

Brenton Hart, chief pharmacist for Terry White Chemmart, said hydration products “can really make a difference in helping a person feel better”.

“We’re seeing gastrointestinal symptoms come about from Omicron: nausea, loss of appetite ... diarrhoea and vomiting, so having those rehydration salts on hand makes a lot of sense. There are also ice block versions for kids,” he said.

One item proposed for at-home care of Covid is a pulse oximeter, those little plastic clamps that fit over a fingertip, often seen in hospitals. They painlessly measure oxygen in the blood, with readings in the high 90s considered normal, and readings in the low 90s a cause for serious concern, even hospitalisation.