When should I go to hospital if I think I have coronavirus symptoms?
FOR many Brits who develop coronavirus, their symptoms will be mild enough to stay at home and recover.
However, for an estimated one in five people with the life-threatening illness, hospital care will be vital.
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Currently, the NHS is urging people not to visit their GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital and to stay at home, to curb the spread of the disease, protect the NHS and save lives.
Despite this, some people will need to seek medical attention to treat Covid-19 symptoms.
And while most people will have mild symptoms, more severe cases can come on quite quickly so it’s important to know when to seek help.
When should I go to hospital?
According to Dr Sarah Jarvis, clinical director of , there are five key reasons you should get medical attention if you develop signs of Covid-19...
- You are rapidly becoming more breathless, even at rest
- You cannot manage basic things like showering, eating, watching TV or reading
- You start becoming confused
- You cannot speak in whole sentences without taking extra breaths
- You are one of the 1.5 million people who has been advised to "shield" to protect themselves
The Government guidance is that people who are over 70, have an underlying health condition or are pregnant should be "shielding" themselves.
People with severe chest conditions such as cystic fibrosis, cancer patients, those with primary immunodeficiencies and individuals with a severe disease of a body system fall into the "underlying health condition" category.
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Dr Jarvis also said that if you’re not sure whether you need to go to hospital, you should speak to a healthcare professional - call NHS 111 or use their online service.
Ultimately, if you’re worried about any symptoms and they’re becoming worse, not better, don’t be afraid to seek help.
When should I call 999?
For more urgent cases and if you have a medical emergency you should call 999 for an ambulance and notify the operator that you - or the person you're caring for - have or think you might have, Covid-19.
The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) says emergency warning signs for Covid-19 include...
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion or inability to arouse
- Bluish lips or face
Patients who are usually older or have a pre-existing health conditions are normally the people who experience difficulty breathing – known as dyspnea.
Signs that a person is experiencing dyspnea include shortness of breath, feeling smothered or suffocated, tightness in the chest, rapid, shallow breathing, heart palpitations and wheezing.
Patients with severe cases of coronavirus may also develop signs of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
According to the NHS, this is a life-threatening condition where the lungs can't provide the body's vital organs with enough oxygen.
ARDS occurs when the lungs become severely inflamed due to an infection or injury and the inflammation causes fluid from nearby blood vessels to leak into the tiny air sacs in your lungs, making breathing increasingly difficult.
Symptoms of ARDS can include severe shortness of breath, rapid, shallow breathing, tiredness, drowsiness or confusion and feeling faint.
About 15 per cent of coronavirus cases develop this, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Anyone who thinks they’ve been fighting Covid-19 and has symptoms of ARDS should also call an ambulance.
How do I treat symptoms of Covid-19?
Currently, there is no vaccine to protect people against the virus.
Antibiotics do not help, as they do not work against viruses - only bacteria.
Doctors say mild or moderate symptoms can be managed at home by getting rest, keeping hydrated and taking paracetamol where necessary.
More on coronavirus
Some people might not even show any symptoms of coronavirus at all, experts say.
Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK's chief scientific adviser, said: "It looks quite likely that there is some degree of asymptomatic transmission.
"There’s definitely quite a lot of transmission very early in the disease when there are very mild symptoms."