COVID-19 FAQ and Resources
CDC Recommendations:
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The CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States. Read more here.
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People over 60 and those with severe chronic heart, lung, or kidney disease stay at home as much as possible and avoid crowds. Read more here.
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Travelers, particularly those who are older and/or have underlying health issues, should “defer all cruise ship travel worldwide”. The CDC also notes that “cruise ship passengers are at increased risk of person-to-person spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19". Read more here.
Tracking COVID-19
Reputable Sources for Information:
Here are some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions we're seeing on the subreddit. Please note that the University of Chicago Med resource contains more questions and answers than what we've copy/pasted here.
What is a coronavirus? What is a novel coronavirus?
A coronavirus is the name for a large set of illnesses, including the common cold and other respiratory infections. The term “novel” coronavirus means it’s a new form of the virus. The 2019 novel coronavirus has been named SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it causes is called coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19.
How does the COVID-19 spread?
This virus is highly transmissible and can spread easily from person to person even before someone develops symptoms. It’s carried on respiratory droplets when we talk, sneeze and cough and these can land on surfaces or in someone’s mouth or nose. When it comes to respiratory droplets, 6 feet is the magic distance. That’s how far these tiny, infected droplets can travel. Being within 6 feet of someone who is sick can get you or your personal space contaminated with COVID-19.
When droplets land on surfaces, we can pick them up with our hands and transfer them to our eyes, mouth and nose when we touch our faces. This is why hand hygiene is so important. Good hand hygiene means washing our hands not just after we're using the restroom or before we're eating but regularly throughout the day. Respiratory secretions (like snot and sputum) may also be infectious, so cover your coughs and sneezes, use disposable tissues, throw them away when you're done and wash your hands afterward. Keep your work surfaces clean and wipe off your keyboard and your phone.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19? Is it deadly?
Most people who become infected with the virus have mild symptoms and may not know they are sick. Others get flu-like symptoms. Some patients — particularly adults over 65 and those with underlying medical conditions — develop a severe form of pneumonia, which can lead to death.
If you are experiencing symptoms, it is important to know when to see a doctor.
Patients develop symptoms like fever, body aches, cough, shortness of breath and sore throat about 5-6 days after infection. We have recently learned that some people have the unusual symptom of losing their sense of smell, which affects taste as well. This seems to be temporary and eventually goes away. Most people will feel pretty miserable for a week and get better on their own. Some people won’t get as sick, but it’s still important not to be out and about, so as not to spread the disease. A minority of patients will get worse instead of better. This usually occurs after 5-7 days of illness and these patients will have more shortness of breath and worsening cough. If this happens, it’s time to contact your doctor again or go to an urgent care center or emergency room. Be sure to call first so they know you are coming.
Is everyone at risk for catching COVID-19??
Yes. It doesn’t appear anyone is naturally immune to this particular virus, and there’s no reason to believe anybody has antibodies that would normally protect them unless they recently had the virus. However, children appear to be among those least likely to have a bad outcome from contracting the disease.
The lack of previous experience with this virus is part of the reason public health officials are working so hard to contain and slow the spread of this particular coronavirus. When viruses are both new (which means the population is highly susceptible) and can easily pass from person to person (a high transmission rate), they can be very dangerous.
Why do some people with the COVID-19 get sicker than others?
It looks like only about 20% of people who contract this novel coronavirus need to be hospitalized. The other 80% get what feels like a bad cold or flu and recover at home in about a week. A lot of this has to do with underlying medical conditions, but even healthy people can get pretty sick. People who are more vulnerable to any kind of infection, because of their age or chronic health conditions, are more at risk for getting really sick from COVID-19.
We don’t understand why some healthy people get better easily and others get so sick they need oxygen or even a ventilator to help them breathe, but we are learning more every day. If you have COVID-19 and you are getting sicker and sicker instead of better and better, you should contact your doctor or visit an emergency room. Be sure to call first so they know to expect you.
Who are the most at-risk for contracting a severe case of COVID-19?
The most vulnerable populations for having a bad outcome with COVID-19 — including needing to be in the hospital or on a ventilator — are people over the age of 60 (especially men but we don’t really understand why) with additional medical concerns. This includes people who are smokers, who have hypertension (high blood pressure) diabetes, low immune systems, and/or underlying lung disease or those who take medicines to suppress their immune systems because they have some sort of autoimmune condition or cancer.
We strongly recommend that these individuals begin curtailing all of their outdoor activities in accordance with the recent CDC guidelines. These people should not be traveling, and they should not be out in crowds. They should be staying home as much as possible. And if you haven't been instructed to work from home, you should ask about working from home if you are in one of these groups.
Are minorities more likely to get COVID-19?
We are seeing a higher number of COVID-19 cases among minorities and low-income families. This most likely reflects the ongoing racial and socioeconomic disparities in healthcare in these communities. Low-income workers are less likely to be able to work at home. Multiple families living in the same house and homelessness also contribute to the spread of the virus.
Additionally, African-Americans are more likely to have health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure and these can be less well-controlled than in Caucasians. The causes for this are multifactorial but if people in underserved communities are less able to get care for their diabetes, they may also be less able to get care for COVID-19.
At UChicago Medicine, we are committed to caring for each and every person who comes our way, especially now during this crisis. We are providing the best care possible with world experts in critical care and infectious diseases for all of our patients with COVID-19.
What kind of medical care do patients with COVID-19 need?
About 20% of COVID-19 patients need to be hospitalized for their pneumonia-like illnesses. Some of them will require critical care and ventilators — special machines that help them breathe. And some need to stay on ventilators for weeks at a time. It’s this portion of patients who continue to be most concerning. Many of them will be able to recover with lots of time and support. Still, a high level of critically ill patients can overwhelm the healthcare systems across our nation pretty quickly. Some parts of the US have already been experiencing this. Without social distancing, it could be much worse. We need toPro make sure we slow the spread of COVID so there are enough hospital beds and ventilators for everyone who needs one.
How do you screen patients for COVID-19?
At UChicago Medicine, we are considering anyone with respiratory symptoms, fever or any other symptom of COVID-19 as a potential case. That means we ask everyone about symptoms when they arrive at the medical center and take appropriate precautions.
Patients are put into isolation right away and staff wear personal protective equipment like gowns, gloves, masks and eye shields when they are in the patient’s room. Patients who need aerosol generating procedures (like nebulizer treatments or high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy) are placed in rooms with that keep air flowing away from the hallway.
Many patients don’t need to stay in the hospital and are able to isolate at home.
What should I do if I think I am infected with COVID-19?
We only test people who are sick and, occasionally, those who are about to undergo important, high risk procedures such as an an organ transplant. The test to diagnose COVID-19 isn’t useful unless you are sick and it’s still more limited than any of us want it to be. Make sure you tell your doctor about any risks for COVID you may have so they can get you a test if you need it.
It’s also worth mentioning that people shouldn’t be worried if they go to their doctor’s office and get tested for respiratory viruses and the results say they have a coronavirus. That’s because coronavirus is the name for a whole group of viruses, including things like the common cold. Most doctors’ offices can test for normal, everyday coronaviruses. If you see test results that say you have one, you shouldn’t worry. If you are being tested for COVID-19, your doctor will be very, very specific and will walk you through any results that come back.
Can I get tested for COVID-19 if I’m worried I’ve been exposed?
Only if you are sick. The test to diagnose COVID-19 isn’t useful unless you are sick and it’s still more limited than any of us want it to be. Make sure you tell your doctor about any risks for COVID you may have so they can get you a test if you need it.
It’s also worth mentioning that people shouldn’t be worried if they go to their doctor’s office and get tested for respiratory viruses and the results say they have a coronavirus. That’s because coronavirus is the name for a whole group of viruses, including things like the common cold. Most doctors’ offices can test for normal, everyday coronaviruses. If you see test results that say you have one, you shouldn’t worry. If you are being tested for COVID-19, your doctor will be very, very specific and will walk you through any results that come back.
If I had a mild case of COVID-19 how do I know when I am well?
Those with mild cases of COVID-19 appear to recover within one to two weeks. In severe cases, full recovery may take six weeks or more. When you no longer have a fever even without taking Tylenol or ibuprofen, your cough is gone, and you are eating a normal diet again, you can be considered well. That said, it’s normal to still feel more tired than usual and it will take some time for you to regain your strength. Everyone needs to stay isolated for at least a week. After that, most experts think it’s safe for you to return to work when you have been symptom free for at least 3 full days.
If I get COVID-19 and recover, will I develop an immunity to it? If so, how long will it last?
There is good evidence that most people make antibodies in response to infection and this will provide some protection. Limited reports of reinfection are still being investigated and we don’t know how good our immune response will be or how long it will last. So far, it doesn’t look like patients are going back to the hospital with another round of infection but even those who recovered early on in Wuhan, China have only been well for a few months. Experts from University of Chicago Medicine and around the world are working hard to answer this question.
Does COVID-19 permanently damage lungs or other organs?
It’s too early to know if the coronavirus has long term effects on lung capacity or if it permanently damages other organs. Doctors will be monitoring patients who fully recovered from the virus to see if complications related to having the virus are permanent.
What is the status of treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19?
For now, doctors can only treat the symptoms with supportive care, not the virus itself. There is no antibiotic (these are designed for bacterial infections, not viral ones) for COVID-19. Scientists are working on a vaccine, but we don’t expect to have a good vaccine until spring 2021.
However, ongoing trials at UChicago Medicine and other centers suggest that there are some existing antiviral drugs that may be helpful for the sickest patients. In fact, the University of Chicago is part of a multi-institutional team that has mapped a protein of SARS-CoV-2 and found drugs previously in development for SARS could be effective for COVID-19.
We are enrolling patients in trials of remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine and even using the antibodies in the blood serum of patients who have recovered to treat currently sick patients.
Submitted March 15, 2020 at 01:15PM by hoosakiwi https://ift.tt/3aXuH1B
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