Some of the views expressed here are controversial. So, do ask your doctor. I hope you have one\u2014not just the HMO or retail clinic \u201cprovider.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t panic. That is always good advice. If you, like the world\u2019s economy, operate on just-in-time inventories, and did not take advice to stock up 3 weeks ago, do not join a mob at a big-box store. Somebody there is no doubt infected. Plus, there\u2019s the risk of getting trampled or injured in a fist fight over the last roll of toilet paper. Most of the world survives without that luxury good. If you have no rice or beans or pasta in the pantry, that is more serious, but you should still avoid mobs if at all possible. Take-out and drive-through places are booming.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t treat fever without a doctor\u2019s advice. Fever is not a disease. It is an important defense mechanism. Very high fevers (say 105 degrees) can cause brain damage, and children can have seizures. But don\u2019t pop Tylenol or ibuprofen at the first sign of fever. Many of the casualties in the 1918 pandemic might have been caused by heavy use of aspirin. Like aspirin, popular nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) such ibuprofen also have detrimental effects on blood clotting. Try lukewarm sponge baths for comfort.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t rush out and get a flu shot. I know, a lot of doctors and public health authorities urge everybody to do this. Influenza can kill you, and the flu shot decreases that risk by 30% to 60%\u2014but there is evidence that it can make COVID-19 worse, both from the earlier SARS epidemic and lab research. Like with so many things in medicine, we have to play the odds.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t go to the emergency room or urgent care unless you are severely ill. There will be sick people there, and you might catch something. You also might end up with a big bill, say for a CT scan you didn\u2019t really need. And if you have the flu or a cold or COVID-19, and don\u2019t need IV fluids or oxygen, they can\u2019t do anything for you. Telephone advice lines could help greatly.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t go to events that are crowded, especially indoors in poorly ventilated rooms. Staying home is good.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t demand to be tested and rely on the results. The tests are still in short supply and not very accurate. If you are at low risk, a positive test is likely to be a false positive. And if you are infected, the test may be negative at first. We need much more testing\u2014mainly for public health monitoring.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t waste. Expired medications are probably still good. Most drugs or essential ingredients are made in China, and supplies are running out. Masks (also mostly made in China) are meant to be disposable, but likely can\u2019t be replaced (see below).<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t touch your face or your eyes. That is very hard\u2014preventing that is one function of a mask and eye protection.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t fall for internet scams, or malware. Hucksters will always be around to try to profit from panics. A new type of malicious virus is embedded malware in sites that come up on a search for information. (If you want to find the Johns Hopkins University\u00a0dashboard of cases and deaths, go to the university\u2019s website, don\u2019t Google \u201ccoronavirus map.\u201d)<\/p>\n
Now for some dos:<\/p>\n
Do prepare to take care of yourself and your family. Be sure you have a fever thermometer, disposable gloves, plastic garbage bags, and cleaning supplies. A pulse oximeter, available in many places for around $40, is good to have to check oxygen levels.<\/p>\n
Do clean and disinfect surfaces such as doorknobs, telephones, computer keyboards, toilets, and countertops often. Virus can persist there for days.<\/p>\n
Do remember that sunlight is the best disinfectant. If you don\u2019t have a pocket ultraviolet lamp (they are or were available on amazon), try putting things like masks or paper currency out in the sun. The idea should be rigorously tested, but in times of need, you may have to guess.<\/p>\n
Do wash your hands often and use hand sanitizer. With SARS-CoV-2, most disinfectants work, including 70-percent-alcohol-based sanitizers.<\/p>\n
Do put a mask on sick people if you can. For protecting yourself you need a minimum of an N95 mask and eye protection.<\/p>\n
Do take your vitamins. Most people may be vitamin D deficient. Your need for vitamin C escalates with infection. Some 50 tons of vitamin C was shipped to Wuhan, and studies of effectiveness are underway.<\/p>\n
Do get your essential prescriptions refilled for 90 days\u2014the supply chain depends on China. If your managed-care plan won\u2019t pay, consider paying cash. You may be able to get a good price with a coupon from goodrx.com.<\/p>\n
Do protect your immune system, with adequate sleep, exercise, fresh air, and diet, especially avoiding sugar if you feel ill.<\/p>\n
Do help your neighbors, and be responsible about protecting others as well as yourself from contagion.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Jane M. Orient, M.D.\u00a0obtained her undergraduate degrees in chemistry and mathematics from the University of Arizona in Tucson, and her M.D. from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1974. She is currently president of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Some of the views expressed here are controversial. So, do ask your doctor. I hope…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[6500],"class_list":["post-319459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","tag-disaster-preparedness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319459\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}