Keep calm, be prepared and think practically about what you’ll need
Over the past few weeks, I have been watching with increasing unease the dramatic and devastating spread of Covid-19 and the differing impacts around the world.
My family are in the UK and I fear their government’s response won’t do much to ‘‘flatten the curve’’, or protect their most vulnerable.
I know I’m not alone – many of us have loved ones overseas – but, for me, the most scary part is the real possibility of not being able to get to them if they are directly affected by this.
New Zealand’s current level of coronavirus cases doesn’t mean we will avoid a substantial outbreak (I see that as inevitable over the coming months), but it does give our health sector time to reflect on how other countries are responding and to plan the best way to approach it.
It also gives us all time to plan a little, and be as prepared as we possibly can be. So what can we do and how should we approach this over the coming days and weeks?
Firstly, please don’t panic. Yes, these are uncertain times, and it’s understandable to feel anxious and stressed, but panicking leads to poor decisionmaking and impacts on your and others’ wellbeing.
So try as much as possible to focus on the good things. We live in a country that has a small population spread over a large area, a robust health system and a government that has acted early.
The stimulus package will provide relief at least for the first three months and will strengthen the health sector’s ability to respond. Most of us, though we may have to disrupt our lives for a while, will come through this physically unscathed but of course that means we need to focus on those who are more at risk: our elderly population and those with chronic ill health.
In practical terms, think about what you might need over the coming weeks, and I’m not talking infinite rolls of toilet paper, or canned food.
Look in your ‘‘medicine’’ cupboard and make sure you have plenty of your routine medication.
This is important for anyone with a chronic health condition and includes things like inhalers for those with asthma, as well as
any pills you might be on.
If you can put a request in to your GP now, clinics won’t have to deal with this in the next few weeks if/when the workload amplifies.
You can’t get more than three months of any medication on a prescription (other than the contraceptive pill) but it’s important to stick to your usual dosing regime and not change anything out of a fear your supply could run out.
If you don’t have enough paracetamol and ibuprofen to deal with the symptoms of a ‘‘flu’’ type illness, grab a packet or two next time you are at the supermarket or pharmacy.
This is the best way to manage your symptoms if you are infected, but you don’t need to go crazy – the maximal doses are eight paracetamol tablets daily (or four doses of syrup) and/or six ibuprofen tablets daily (three doses of syrup), so even if you are unlucky enough to be unwell for several days, you are unlikely to need a huge supply.
If you are getting a prescription from your GP for anything else, you can ask them to add this on – but if not, please try to source these elsewhere, without using up your GP’s time.
Other medicines won’t add anything to the management – there is no evidence that vitamin supplements or ‘‘immune boosters’’ will offer any protection at all (providing you have a good diet, rich in fresh fruit, veges and other nutrients), but they will drain your wallet.
One way people can protect themselves is to get the flu vaccine.
Although this won’t prevent coronavirus, it will massively reduce the impact that a big flu outbreak could have on our population and our health sector.
It’s important that we take a thoughtful approach to this though – vaccines are available now for those who are considered the most ‘‘vulnerable’’, but won’t be available for others until the middle of April.
The ‘‘at risk’’ group includes those over 65, pregnant women and anyone under 65 who has a specified medical condition, including asthma, heart issues, diabetes, cancer and many others. For the full list visit fightflu.co.nz. If you’re not in that group, please hold off for the next three weeks, to allow clinics time to get this population through first.
If you do become unwell with something other than coronavirus during the next few weeks or months, please don’t avoid getting help. Although we are all rightly completely focused on this pandemic, the usual illnesses, accidents and diseases will also continue to occur and health services will still be functioning, even if in a slightly different format.
The best advice I can give you is to keep up to date with what your GP’s clinic is doing.
Nearly all practices now should have information available on either their practice website or portal, advising their patients what to do and how to book an appointment.
Patients can also call the regular Healthline number 0800 611 116. Over the coming weeks, I suspect many will start using phone and possibly video consultations more, in a bid to reduce exposure to Covid-19, but this doesn’t mean they won’t be available to help and provide advice when needed.
If you get symptoms that could be Covid-19-related (cough, sore throat, fever, and so on), to avoid passing it on to anyone else (including your primary care team), please don’t turn up at your doctor’s clinic, or any other health service, without letting them know first.
Ideally (unless it is an emergency), you should call the dedicated coronavirus Healthline number on 0800 358 5453, or go online and check the current protocol on your clinic’s portal or website, and follow their advice.
I suspect, with time, many symptomatic people will be directed to community testing centres, as opposed to their usual clinic, but this will vary depending on the area you are in.