The Coronavirus Q & A – What to do if infected?
11 September 2020
Dear comrades
As part of the Bench Marks Community Monitor Coronavirus Awareness Raising Campaign, in addition to the Coronavirus Ten Commandments, we will be circulating questions asked by community members and suggested answers.
The suggested tenth commandment is:
Take action immediately if you test positive or think you are infected – by doing this you can save yourself from serious illness or worse. There are at least ten steps to take.
Our question for today is:
What should I do if I test positive for the virus or think I may be infected? What are these ten steps?
Here is our answer:
Suggested ten key steps to take if infected (there are more):
- Act immediately!
- Get professional advice.
- Immediately self-isolate – go to a government or community institution if necessary.
- Keep your viral load down.
- Keep your immune system high.
- Carry out breathing exercises to clear your lungs and improve your flow of oxygen.
- Use the normal cold and flu remedies to alleviate your symptoms.
- Monitor your oxygen levels and breathing.
- Make sure your underlying medical conditions are well controlled.
- Seek medical help immediately if your symptoms get worse, such as difficulty in breathing, or if your symptoms have not improved after seven days.
In implementing these steps, read the Bench Marks pamphlets ‘’Bench Marks Coronavirus Guidelines’’ and ‘’Bench Marks Guidelines for people who may get seriously ill if infected by the Coronavirus’’.
