It may take 2 weeks for your body to get over the illness. That’s the average recovery time for mild cases, according to the World Health Organization. For those with severe or critical cases, recovery can take up to 6 weeks.
CDC guidelines say that if you’ve been sick, you should isolate yourself at home until all of these things are true:
- You haven’t had a fever for 72 hours (3 days) without using a fever-reducing medicine
- Your symptoms are better, though they might not be totally gone
- It’s been at least 7 days since your symptoms started OR you’ve had two negative COVID-19 tests 24 hours apart
Recovery After Severe Illness With COVID-19
About 14% of people who have the new coronavirus need to stay in the hospital to get help breathing. This might last 2 weeks or more.
Some people who have severe COVID-19 get a complication called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which can damage your lungs and make it very hard to breathe.
If you’re severely ill, you might need treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU). Many patients who spend time in the ICU lose weight and strength. You may also have memory problems afterward.
Your medical team will work with you to treat or manage these symptoms, including exercises to boost your strength.
Recovery Outlook
Scientists are still looking at how a person’s immune system responds to COVID-19 and whether you can catch the virus again after you recover. One early study on monkeys found that they didn’t get infected a second time. But you might have the virus in your body for weeks, so it’s a good idea to keep following official advice on washing your hands, keeping surfaces clean, and staying home when possible.
How to Feel Better
There’s no treatment for COVID-19. Some of the things you can do to speed your healing are similar to how you might take care of the flu or a bad cold.
Eat healthy foods.
If you feel like eating, fuel your body with the vitamins and nutrients it needs to get better. Limit sugary or highly processed foods like cookies and sodas. If you don’t have an appetite, you don’t need to try to force food down.
Drinks lots of fluids.
Do this even if you don’t feel like eating. Water is always a good pick.
Lower your fever.
Take acetaminophen or ibuprofen if you have a temperature or body aches. Be careful not to take more than a total of 3,000 milligrams every 24 hours. That includes acetaminophen alone as well as in medications like cold and flu pills and syrups.
Rest.
Know that you’ll probably feel better eventually. If your symptoms do get worse, call your doctor.
No comments:
Post a Comment