WORRIED YOU HAVE COVID-19?
There are prudent, sensible steps to take in response if you think you have been infected, writes Aaron Derfel.
It all starts with the insidious symptoms, almost masking those of the seasonal flu.
You develop a dry cough and might run a fever. In more severe cases, you find yourself suddenly with a shortness of breath. What do you do?
The following is a Q and A, based on information gleaned from the websites of the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Quebec Health Ministry, along with statements from officials about the novel coronavirus.
It’s also based on the assumption that for now, at least, there is no local transmission of the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus, which causes what the World Health Organization has declared a fullfledged pandemic.
Q If you develop flu symptoms, what do you do?
A Call the 811 Info-santé hotline. It’s no use showing up at an already overcrowded emergency room. The Info-santé nurse will go over your symptoms with you over the phone.
Q Have you recently travelled abroad?
A If you have, you will be advised to visit one of the three COVID -19 screening clinics.
Q What if you haven’t travelled abroad?
A The 811 nurse will ask you whether you might have come into contact with someone who has travelled. The nurse will also ask about whether you have any pre-existing medical conditions like heart disease, asthma, diabetes or cancer.
For the moment, Dr. Horacio Arruda, Quebec’s chief public health officer, has reiterated that there is no local transmission of the coronavirus. However, authorities suspect that SARSCOV-2 is probably already circulating in the community.
Still, authorities have not reported widespread community transmission yet. When that occurs, the protocols will probably change.
Q Should the Info-santé nurse book an appointment for you at the screening clinic at the old Hôtel-dieu hospital at Pine Ave. and St-urbain St., what is likely to happen?
A You will be assessed by a nurse and doctor. A swab will be taken of your mouth and throat and sent for analysis by the Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec. It should take less than 24 hours to get a result back.
In the meantime, you will be presumed to have contracted COVID -19.
Q What if my symptoms at the clinic are severe? What if I say I have difficulty breathing?
A You will probably be transferred to the Jewish General Hospital for treatment and isolation. The Jewish General is one of four designated COVID-19 treatment centres in the province. Ste-justine Hospital has been designated for children and teens with COVID -19. The evidence to date suggests that the potentially lethal respiratory illness has mostly spared young people.
It’s also possible that if you have difficulty breathing when you first call 811, you could be transported by ambulance to the Jewish General.
Q If my symptoms are not severe at the screening clinic, what can I then expect?
A You will be advised to return home and to self-isolate pending the results of the COVID -19 test.
“At this time, there is no vaccine for COVID -19 or any natural health products that are authorized to treat or protect against COVID -19,” according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
“Most people with mild coronavirus illness will recover on their own. Your health care provider may recommend steps you can take to relieve symptoms.”
The nurse at the screening clinic will hand you a kit with two pairs of gloves and two N-95 respirator masks, along with five pages of typed instructions to follow while at home.
Q What do those instructions say?
A Do not go to school or work. Do not visit a children’s daycare or a long-term care centre.
Do not use public transit. Postpone any non-urgent medical appointments.
Do not invite people to your home. Stay alone in your home in the same room as often as possible. Do not change rooms. If possible, use a bathroom not frequented by anyone else. This last instruction arises from preliminary research showing that the coronavirus spreads easiest within families.
Wear a mask whenever anyone else in your home is in the same room as you. Use a paper tissue to cough, throw away the tissue afterward into a garbage container and then wash your hands.
If a paper tissue is not around, cough or sneeze into your sleeve or elbow.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Do not share plates, utensils, glasses and towels with any other family member.
This is important: Take your temperature at the same time every day and keep written track of the readings.
Q What happens if your symptoms worsen while at home?
A Contact the Info-santé 811 hotline if you have any of the following symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chest pain, severe diarrhea, you have vomited or suffer from unusual, severe fatigue.
And remember to tell the Infosanté nurse that you are under investigation for COVID -19.
Depending on your answers, the nurse could recommend that you go to a hospital on your own wearing a mask and using personal transport. It’s also possible that an ambulance might pick you up. The hospital, in all probability the Jewish General, will be notified in advance of your arrival.
Q What if my symptoms do not worsen?
A Continue to stay at home until you recover. To date, officials have advised people to self-isolate for 14 days. It’s possible you might have to stay at home longer.
Q What if I get stressed, become anxious or develop obsessive ideas that seem to take over my mind?
A Call Info-santé and a psychosocial health professional will provide you with support and counselling depending on your needs.