WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SELF ISOLATION

With the advice to stay inside for 14 days if you get a new, dry persistent cough and a fever, Dr Christian explains what to eat, drink, take and do to ensure you – and everyone else – stays well

For most of us, the coronavirus won’t cause major health issues. However, it is still worrying for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, and we all need to help keep them safe. If you have a temperature over 37.8 degrees, or a new and persistent cough, you need to self isolate for 14 days – not because you’re likely to be horribly ill, but to protect those who could be if you passed the germ on. Most people don’t have a very accurate thermometer at home, so if you have a fever you’ll feel hot to the touch as well as shivery, both hot and cold, achy, and clammy.

EAT WELL & BE ACTIVE

In terms of boosting your immunity, eat well, rest and try to avoid stress. Aim to eat the rainbow – so include different coloured fruit and vegetables.

That includes frozen berries, peas and spinach, or tinned fruit, but aim for as much variety and colour as you can to ensure you get lots of vitamins, and drink lots of water. Exercise is good for you, but don’t push yourself if you’re ill. When you start to feel better but you still need to be in isolation, try some exercise apps, or stop using your exercise bike as a clothes horse! Failing that, there’s always housework – that’s good exercise too!

STAY HYDRATED

Usually when you’re ill you isolate anyway, because you’ll just want to go to bed and sleep, like you would with flu. The food you need in the house is the kind of food and drink you normally want when you’re not well – so wholesome stuff that doesn’t require much effort. You probably won’t feel like eating for a few days, because that’s the case with a fever, so just curl up and do whatever your body tells you. I like to lay a wet flannel over my face when I have a fever, or you may want to use a fan – whatever works for you. Have plenty of fluids to keep hydrated. Keep a glass of water, squash, lemonade or whatever close by and keep sipping, as the main symptom is a nasty, dry cough. Take paracetamol for aches, but avoid ibuprofen or aspirin, as we’re learning it may dampen your immune response. Check your local supermarkets, pharmacy and small shops for paracetamol – if there is none, check online. If it’s nowhere to be seen, ask your shop when they get deliveries, as they will be restocked, and turn up then.

CHECK YOUR BREATHING

If you’re in one of the vulnerable groups, and your breathing is laboured, you’re short of breath or wheezing, or if you have breathing difficulties anyway but they seem to be escalating, it’s very important that you call your GP to ask for advice. If you have asthma, for example, you’ll probably already know that you can increase the dose with your inhaler a bit, but if that still isn’t helping, call your GP surgery immediately. We can all also call NHS 111, who have more people taking calls now, for any advice.

KEEP YOUR DISTANCE

Don’t feel tempted to visit elderly relatives – the point of isolation is that we don’t expose vulnerable people to it. We have to follow the guidelines and stay in if we’re ill, so if you need to get supplies to a loved one, or if you are desperate for something yourself, ask someone to pick it up for you. It’s always worth looking online, because more and more local charities and volunteers are stepping up to help in their communities.

If you live with a partner, they’re very likely to get it too, or they may have had it already but have not shown symptoms. Regardless, make sure they’re washing their hands a lot, and keeping as much distance from you as possible. If you want fresh air, a potter around the garden or outside space is fine.

LET YOUR FEVER RUN ITS COURSE

One of the things we know about the coronavirus is that the virus doesn’t like warmth very much, so it doesn’t survive in high temperatures. That’s why people are getting a fever. It feels awful, but it’s your body getting hot in an attempt to kill off the virus. People who have had it say that paracetamol helped with aches, but didn’t bring their temperature down much. That’s fine, as it’s our body fighting the virus. It also doesn’t survive on surfaces for as long as an illness like norovirus, so you don’t need to be obsessively bleaching worktops all the time.

STUB OUT CIGS – OR AT LEAST CUT BACK

If you’re a smoker, and you’ve been looking for motivation to quit, this is a very good time to try. Smoking reduces immunity and the mucus-clearance processes in your lungs, both of which increase your risk of infections. If you’re a heavy smoker, it would be very hard to just stop – but if you can, that’s amazing! Look at anything you can do to at least cut down.

This isn’t the plague – it won’t kill us all. Those who have sadly lost their lives are mainly very elderly or those who have underlying health conditions. If that’s you, and you get ill, ask your doctor for advice. Remember – you’re still far likelier to be a bit under the weather than dangerously ill, but let’s all stay safe.