Coronavirus: Mistakes that can escalate your mild COVID case into a severe one

With a high number of coronavirus cases, the emphasis remains on early diagnosis and starting treatment at the right time.

At a time when false negatives with COVID testing continue to cloud fears and cases turning serious super fast, it’s now more important than ever to track and monitor even the slightest change in symptoms and follow all due precautions.

The majority of COVID-19 cases start off in a mild manner. However, the rise in mutant strains and complications which can catch a patient unaware can turn the infection into a severe one, and make them require hospitalization.

COVID fueled cytokine storm, happy hypoxia (which is being linked to a lot of younger age hospitalizations and eventual deaths) could also be serious factors that can make your case turn worse in a short span of time.

Doctors also believe that patients should also follow certain precautions to take control of their actions, from Day 01. While serious, emergent symptoms of COVID-19 should never be ignored, there are also some other factors that can complicate your case when you are recovering from the infection.

Here are a few mistakes you should avoid making when you suspect COVID:

Denial or lack of awareness is the biggest mistake that can cost your health right now.

As important as it is to watch out for common, unusual and threatening symptoms of COVID-19, it is equally important to take even a mild COVID-19 infection seriously and not treat it like a viral or allergic reaction.

Even if the suspected symptoms are similar to other infections, one must get a COVID test done in time. Timely detection can also save a person from infecting others, and attend to concerning symptoms in time.

Accept your condition, and start the due course of treatment accordingly.

Steroids are being recommended in a lot of serious, hospitalized cases to act down on inflammation and severity. However, not ALL COVID cases require the use of steroids. Indiscriminate use, or using them in mild infection can pose problems.

It’s also important that neither steroids nor much of the drugs are perfect COVID cures and only being repurposed for treatment. Therefore, any patient suffering from a bout of COVID, recovering at home or otherwise should remain cautious and only take medicines that are prescribed by the treating doctor.

The incessant use of steroids has also been linked to serious complications, such as mucormycosis, or black fungus infection.

Another major mistake that a lot of people who test positive for COVID-19 do is to consult a specialist doctor related to coronavirus treatment.

Even if the symptoms are vaguely similar to a lot of other infections, do remember that only a specialized doctor, someone who has expertise in attending to COVID-19 cases can guide you about the medicines which may help alleviate symptoms, when you should get further tests, scans and the warning signs when you should seek help.

Seeking guidance from a specialized doctor can help you recover faster. Consult a doctor from Day 01 of your symptom onset and follow the due course of treatment.

Because of the confusing nature of the infection and the pattern symptoms emerge, some people may get tested much later which can cloud the recovery timeline. Delayed testing, diagnosis is also one of the reasons why even the healthiest of people in their prime ages are turning up with severe case complications.

Watch out for all signs of infection, seek help at once. If you cannot get tested, still follow isolation.

It's very important to chart all your vitals from SP02 levels, fever from Day 01. Even the slightest fluctuation in these readings, such as a dip in oxygen levels (lesser than 92%) can become a pressing cause of concern and require further care. Similarly, a fever that doesn’t come down by Day 7 is also a warning sign. Hence, patients should not be complacent and chart their symptoms on an hourly/ 2-hourly basis.

Patients suffering from comorbidities should also be cautious about monitoring their blood sugar and blood pressure levels, during the recovery time.

Because of the rise in cases, there’s a long gap some people may face in getting their COVID test reports. However, waiting for your test results to come should not be the only sign to start your treatment and step into isolation.

Right now, what is advisable is that patients who suspect COVID, or start showing symptoms start due procedure, isolate themselves, seek guidance from a doctor from the very beginning. Attending to the symptoms from the very start may save a case from turning bad and get the right treatment on time.