Friday, August 28, 2020

How Long After Having Coronavirus Are You Contagious? Here's What Doctors Say

If you've tested positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms of the virus, the advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is clear: Don’t leave your home unless you need medical care, and wear a cloth face covering over your nose and mouth if you must be around others, even at home. But how long should you keep taking these precautions after you’ve recovered from the coronavirus? 

Infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Maryland, tells Health that someone who has had COVID-19 stops being contagious approximately 10 days after symptom onset and after at least three days without fever. 

This is in line with the CDC‘s recommendation that a person diagnosed with COVID-19 can be released from isolation after 10 days from symptom onset and at least three days from fever resolution and improvement in respiratory symptoms. 

“This is supported by the WHO (World Health Organization), and I should add that no secondary spread or transmission has been seen after following this guideline,” epidemiologist Supriya Narasimhan, MD, division chief of infectious diseases and medical director of infection prevention at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, in California, tells Health. 

However, like so many aspects of this virus, scientists are discovering new information all the time, and that can change official advice. For example, Dr. Narasimhan mentions a paper from China that suggests sicker patients may be contagious for up to 21 days—although it should be noted that details of this study aren’t yet fully available. 

“I bring this up to show that the information on this virus is constantly evolving and we learn more each day,” explains Dr. Narasimhan. “It is fair to say that sicker people will take longer to recover from their symptoms as well and will need to stay isolated to prevent transmission to others for a longer time period, until they have shown symptom improvement as per the CDC recommendation.” 

If you’ve had the coronavirus, it’s wise to check with your doctor and your local public health guidelines to establish when you can be released from isolation. Some places may be more conservative than the CDC—for instance, Santa Clara County Public Health advises remaining in isolation for 14 days from the onset of symptoms and at least seven days from fever resolution and improvement in respiratory symptoms. 

When you do go out in public or mix with other people after fully recovering from COVID-19, it’s still important to take preventative measures to help reduce the spread of the virus. 

“Follow what the CDC recommends,” says Dr. Narasimhan. “They should maintain a distance of six feet from others when possible, practice meticulous hand hygiene, and cover their nose and mouth with a face covering or mask.”

The face covering is “probably the most important of the three,” Dr. Narasimhan adds, because it provides “source control,” in other words, it prevents infectious particles that may come out of a person’s mouth when they cough, sneeze, or talk from getting into the surrounding airspace. 

“It’s important that all of us—including those who have recovered from COVID-19—maintain these safety precautions until we stop the spread of this pandemic,” says Dr. Narasimhan. 

The information in this story is accurate as of press time. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it's possible that some data have changed since publication. While Health is trying to keep our stories as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations for their own communities by using the CDCWHO, and their local public health department as resources.

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Monday, July 13, 2020

Is Diarrhea a Symptom of COVID-19? New Study Says Digestive Issues May Be Common With Coronavirus

You've likely heard the most common symptoms of COVID-19 by now: dry cough, fever, shortness of breath. But now, researchers are warning that another less-common symptom may be more prominent than doctors once thought: diarrhea.

A new study published Wednesday in The American Journal of Gastroenterology claims that digestive issues—like diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain—may be more common in those with COVID-19 than was once thought, with up to half of patients diagnosed with the disease in the study issuing complaints of those issues. Also important: Compared to study patients without gastrointestinal issues, those who had GI complaints had a higher risk of mortality. 
The research, a cross-sectional multicenter study from China by investigators from the Wuhan Medical Treatment Expert Group for COVID-19, examined 204 early cases of novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China from three separate hospitals. The average age of the patients was 54.9 years, and included 107 men and 97 women.

The study authors noted that while respiratory issues remain the most common symptom of novel coronavirus, many patients—99 of the 204, or 48.5%—experienced digestive symptoms as their chief complaint that generally worsened with time. Some patients also never presented with respiratory symptoms at all. “Clinicians must bear in mind that digestive symptoms, such as diarrhea, may be a presenting feature of COVID-19, and that the index of suspicion may need to be raised earlier in these cases rather than waiting for respiratory symptoms to emerge,” write the authors.

Those with digestive symptoms—which included anorexia or loss of appetite (83.8% cases), diarrhea (29.3%), vomiting (0.8%), and abdominal pain (0.4%)—also had “a worse clinical outcome and higher risk of mortality compared to those without digestive symptoms,” Brennan M.R. Spiegel, MD, MSHS, FACG, Co-Editor-in-Chief of The American Journal of Gastroenterology, explained in a press release. And, due to the fact that patients without digestive symptoms were more likely to be cured and discharged than patients with digestive symptoms, (60% of those without digestive symptoms were discharged, versus only 34.3% of patients with digestive symptoms), Dr. Spiegel emphasized “the importance of including symptoms like diarrhea to suspect COVID-19 early in the disease course before respiratory symptoms develop.” That in itself could lead to an earlier diagnosis of COVID-19, "which can lead to earlier treatment and more expeditious quarantine to minimize transmission," he said. 

It should also be noted that those with digestive symptoms took much longer seek medical care. While the average time from symptom onset to hospital admission for those without digestive symptoms was 7.3 days, those with them took 9 days to be admitted. Researchers believe this may be an indicator that those with digestive symptoms sought care later because they did not yet suspect they were infected with the virus since they weren’t experiencing the most commonly discussed respiratory symptoms like cough or shortness of breath.


Niket Sonpal, MD, Board Certified NYC Internist and Gastroenterologist, who was not involved with the study, explains to Health that this is a “significant” finding, due to the fact that, “in the earlier stages of the outbreaks in China, Iran, and later Italy, we mostly saw the lower respiratory symptoms—dry cough, fatigue, accompanied by fevers.”  Diarrhea was seen in some cases, “but not an overwhelming amount in the reported cases, as we see with the dry cough and the fever,” he explains. The significance here “has more to do with testing and hospital admission, as reports out of China state that many patients who presented, first, with digestive symptoms were made to wait longer until they had the respiratory issues as well before they could get tested or receive medical attention,” says Dr. Sonpal. According to the study, these people too should have been a priority. 


At the community level, these findings should be used to promote social distancing and isolation to flatten the curve, says Dr. Sonpal. "There is so much we do not know about this virus, and while we are moving as fast as possible, it is up to the community to stay home to control the spread," he says. He also urges that if you do experience diarrhea during the coronavirus pandemic, you should exert extra caution to protect those around you. 

“With many viruses, the fecal matter needs to be taken into consideration,” he explains. “This is part of the reason why, when possible, a sick person should be using a different bathroom from others inside their home. If this is not possible, while it may be tedious, the CDC says it is in everyone’s best interest for the sick person to disinfect the bathroom after using it to avoid other members of the family becoming infected through bodily fluids.” That's, of course, in conjunction with the other preventive tips from the CDC, which include washing your hands frequently, avoiding large crowds or groups of over 10 people, keeping a safe distance from those who are sick, and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces. 

The information in this story is accurate as of press time. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it's possible that some data have changed since publication. While Health is trying to keep our stories as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations for their own communities by using the CDCWHO, and their local public health department as resources.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
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Friday, April 24, 2020

Coronavirus warning - new deadly signs of COVID-19 being ‘missed’

CORONAVIRUS most commonly causes a fever and new, continuous cough, but a health body has now warned doctors and nurses to be alert for new signs of the deadly virus which are being "missed".

Coronavirus advice issued by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre in Ireland has warned doctors and nurses to be alert about symptoms different from a fever, cough and shortness of breath. The advice comes as health staff in nursing homes are being told symptoms of the COVID-19 virus are being missed.


Instead of displaying the routine signs, Dublin Live reports older residents are suffering from confusion, loss of appetite, rapid deterioration of their health condition between checks and lethargy.

Coronavirus has been linked to a variety of different symptoms over the last few months.


A study carried out by Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan have warned of two new mild symptoms to look out for - a headache and dizziness.

Researchers from the university analysed 214 coronavirus patients, asking them about their initial symptoms.


The results found 36 percent experience some form of neurological symptom, including headache and dizziness.

Muscle inflammation and nerve pain were also cited among some patients.

In some cases, the symptoms were described alongside respiratory symptoms, including a cough and fever.

In other cases, patients only experienced neurological symptoms.


The study was published in JAMA Neurology. Lead researcher Ling Mao wrote: “Some patients without typical symptoms (fever, cough, anorexia and diarrhoea) of COVID-19 came to the hospital with only neuralgic manifestation as their presenting symptoms.


This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

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Thursday, February 13, 2020

9 Practical Uses For Geranium Oil You Need To Know

1. Minimize Wrinkles

Geranium oil is one of the most popular essential oils for anti-aging skin care applications. It has a slightly astringent effect, helping to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Geranium oil plays a major role in my favorite DIY anti-aging serum.

2. Soothe Anxiety

Geranium can help improve your outlook and reduce anxious feelings. In fact, a 2015 study found that geranium oil helped reduce levels of anxiety in pregnant women during labor!
Add a few drops of geranium oil to your diffuser to help lift your spirits when you’re feeling stressed or down.

3. Add Shine To Hair

Use geranium oil to enrich your hair care routine and restore shine and vitality to dull hair!
After shampooing your hair, add 3-5 drops of geranium oil to your normal amount of conditioner before applying it. You’ll have radiant, more healthy-looking hair in no time, and it will smell great too!

4. Repel Insects

Use geranium oil to help keep bugs at bay! Add a drop or two to a cotton ball and place it in any areas where bugs have been sighted. You can also spritz yourself with diluted geranium oil before going outside to help repel bugs.

5. Reduce Inflammation

Geranium oil has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, making it a useful remedy for inflammatory skin conditions and other types of inflammation. Dilute 5 drops of geranium oil with 1 teaspoon of your preferred carrier oil, then apply it to the affected area to help reduce swelling and soothe discomfort.

6. Relieve Respiratory Symptoms

Geranium’s anti-inflammatory properties can also be useful for reducing respiratory symptoms like stuffy noses and congestion. Use geranium oil in your diffuser to help keep your airways clear when you have a cold or other respiratory illnesses.

7. Treat Skin Issues

Thanks to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, geranium oil is great for treating skin issues like acne, dermatitis, and more. Dilute 5 drops of geranium oil with 1 teaspoon of rosehip oil, then apply the mixture to the affected area once or twice a day until the condition improves.

8. Cool A Hot Flash

If hot flashes are stopping you in your tracks, keep a geranium oil spray on hand for quick cooling relief!
Add about 20 drops of geranium oil to a 4 ounce glass spray bottle, then fill the rest of the bottle with witch hazel. Replace the top, shake to mix, and spritz it onto your face and neck during a hot flash, or whenever you’re feeling a bit overheated!

9. Stop Minor Bleeding

When it comes to stopping bleeding from minor cuts (like nicks from shaving, for instance), many people swear by geranium oil! It can help reduce the flow of blood by contracting the blood vessels, and promote clotting to stop bleeding fast.
Use a cotton swab to apply a single drop of geranium oil to a small cut to help stop the bleeding.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement
 

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