GOOD HEARTS HEALTH

Phone: (786) 747-7904

Email: Dr.Q@goodheartshealth.com

GOOD HEARTS HEALTH

Phone: (786) 747-7904 Email: Dr.Q@goodheartshealth.com

COVID-19 Survival Guide

When COVID-19 cases started to increase exponentially in late 2019, the US health authorities had issued warning that it would cause serious disruption to everyday life. At that time, doctors had no specific treatment for COVID-19.

To this day, there’s no cure for the virus, but due to increasing public health research, various treatments are helping people survive the virus.

Here are four steps you need to bounce back to recovery after contracting the coronavirus.

Step 1: Were You Exposed to The Virus?

The symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, fatigue, chills, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, cough, diarrhea, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, vomiting, congestion, and chest pain.

If you have these symptoms, quarantine yourself immediately. You can get either PCR or an Antigen test—both tests work well if you’re symptomatic.

Get an Antigen test first. It’s a biochemical test that detects a viral antigen implying that you have a viral infection. The FDA has authorized Antigen tests to be performed on nasal swab specimens that can later be directly placed into the reagent to show results. If the results are positive, you’re infected.

If the results are negative, get a PCR test. PCR stands for Polymerase Chain Reaction test. This test diagnoses people who are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19. Once the lab takes a nasal swab sample from you, they will use special chemicals and a thermal cycler to produce a reaction that will make millions of copies of the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2. In this process, the testing chemical will produce a fluorescent light if it detects SARS-CoV-2 in the sample.

If the PCR test results are negative, it will confirm that you don’t have COVID-19.

If you suspect that you were exposed to the coronavirus, but don’t have the symptoms, quarantine right away. After five to seven days of exposure to the virus, you can get a PCR test.

Step 2: You’ve Tested Positive, Now What?

You must quarantine yourself. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has outlined the guidelines about how you can start and end quarantine. Usually, it lasts for ten days from the time symptoms start to show. If your symptoms have diminished by the tenth day and you don’t show symptoms of fever, you can end the quarantine.

Step 4 (Optional): Monoclonal Antibody (MAB) therapy

MAB therapy is a new way of treating COVID-19 in individuals who have tested positive for the coronavirus and are at high risk of developing severe symptoms. Researchers believe that MAB therapy can prevent hospitalizations and lessen symptom severity.

Here are the criteria for MAB therapy:

• A positive COVID-19 result for patients who are twelve years or older and weigh less than 40kg

• People who have a high risk of developing severe symptoms

High-risk features are as follows:

• Body Mass Index over 35

• Chronic Kidney Disease

• Immunosuppressive Disease

• Currently receiving Immunosuppressive treatment

• Diabetes

• Are over 65 years of age

• Are over 55 and have Cardiovascular disease, HTN, or COPD

 

For patients 12-17 years of age:

• BMI over 85th percentile for their age

• Congenital or Acquired Heart disease

• A medical-related technological dependence

• Neurodevelopmental disorders

• Sickle Cell disease

• Asthma, reactive airway disease that requires daily medication for control.

Want to Get Tested?

Good Hearts Testing is a COVID-19 testing facility in Miami. Whether you want to take a travel PCR test, drive-thru COVID test, corporate COVID test, or group COVID testing, we provide same-day results. We also offer Antigen test results in 15 minutes. Book an appointment at our testing center and get accurate covid testing.