With all the news and guidelines circulating around, collated some of the information gathered from those who have recovered during the pandemic, while self-quarantining themselves at home. Sharing it for the benefit of all!

Somehow, whether one goes outside or not, there is a high risk these days that anyone can contact the virus. Sharing some of the tips that have been shared by Doctors, Nurses and patients who have recovered while self-quarantining themselves at home.

CDC Guidelines – What to do if you are sick?

1. COVID-19 screening tool is an App available in the Apple store. You can download that and use it for yourself or someone else, and use to understand whether you need to self-quarantine or not.
2. Self assessment tool available through Mayo clinic (website) – https://www.mayoclinic.org/covid-19-self-assessment-tool
3. Post self-quarantine, run the test again in a week to check if you still need to continue quarantine / can come out of isolation. Follow the tips suggested for the benefit of those around you
4. Share the symptom checker and the what to do-s below with your family (If you are recovering, you would want your family members to know what to do and how to care for you). Discuss the below with them.

If the guidance is to self-quarantine, the below inputs for the various symptoms should help

Symptom	What to do?
Sore throat	Regularly gargle with warm salt water Ricola, Honey drops, Halls sore throat relief helps
Dry cough	Drinking Hot tea, Ginger tea, Lemon + Honey in Hot water
Nasal blockages, cold and/or phlegm	Babies to adults can follow these techniques https://learningthursdays.com/nasal-blockages-and-breathing-trouble/ Steam inhaling with Vicks vaporizer Using a Neti-pot helps Using a Saline spray to open up your nasal passages helps Salt water – Sipping some salt water also helps Pounding the patients back – top to bottom helps to dislodge the mucus/phlegm Look at video from nurses treating covid patients below **
Loss of smell and taste	Talk to your physician
Fatigue and severe body aches	These body aches are distinctly severe and have a sudden onset. Having a hot water bath helps significantly to relieve body aches. Alternatively, using a hot water bottle helps as well If you usually have a low Vitamin D level, take a supplement after consulting your physician Eat and take rest.
Nausea, Vomiting and/or Diarrhea	While you might want to check on what you ate in the past 48 hours, resting your digestive system a bit helps! Follow a bland diet Foods like Porridge, Boiled rice based foods, Rasam, Soups, Vegetable/chicken broth, hot tea help Keep yourself hydrated – Drink plenty of water / fluids Drink Gatorade (or equivalent electrolytes)
Shortness of breath	If your shortness of breath is connected to COVID-19, check & follow the inputs from the Symptom checker and talk to your physician. If you / someone you are caring for usually faces shortness of breath – then the tips in the below link helps https://www.healthline.com/health/home-treatments-for-shortness-of-breath#using-a-fan

Overall, your body needs plenty of fluids, hot food and sleep to recover.

How to care for yourself while self-quarantining at home – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html

Caring for someone who is sick at home – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/care-for-someone.html

What to eat and stay healthy during the process – https://learningthursdays.com/what-to-eat-to-keep-ourselves-healthy-during-the-pandemic/

** Video shared by nurses treating covid patients about tips to follow if you have nasal blockages or mucus/phlegm in chest

Have shared inputs that I am aware of and have used over the years. If there are others that have worked for you, please share them in the comments below.