What To Do If You Feel Ill...

[kpete]

So tonight I spoke w the head of Emergency Medicine at Langone NYU and I want to pass along some important takeaways from our segment about What To Do If You Feel Ill...

Naturally, people feeling they have flu-like symptoms that may be COVID-19 want to be tested, but the reality is: at this point that is neither a realistic possibility nor a medical priority.

His advice: if you're in a low-risk group and feel symptoms, self-isolate. Monitor your temperature. Drink plenty of fluids and take ibuprofen. Stay away from people and just rest up as if you had the flu.

If your conditions worsen, seek contact with your doctor, ideally through telemedicine of some kind. But don't expect a test, and DO NOT go to medical centers seeking one, unless you have concern you need urgent care or emergency medicine.

If you're in a high risk group -- 60+, immune compromised, other pre-existing conditions and comorbitidies -- self-isolate and immediately contact your physician.

The only people who should be going to the ER are people who have urgent symptoms (including by not limited to trouble breathing).

We need to keep the ER's clear and right now testing simply is not a priority for the path we're on, in terms of managing the virus.


https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1238299705077125121.html

[Maeve]

1. Here is where our healthcare industry's failures show

How many are in ERs or Urgent Care because they have no regular doctor? How many don't have access to the information they need to be safer (there is no real 'be safe' in a pandemic)?
With the for-profit model, you keep the number of un-occupied hospital beds as low as possible. That means they aren't there in a crisis. "Just in time" supply lines don't function well in a crisis, but that's what we have.
Sorry...a bit angry this morning.

[liberalmuse]

2. People have hoarded all the thermometers here.

That will hurt everyone because a spike in temperature is reported as an initial symptom.

If you know of any elderly or at risk persons near you, please check on them. They can’t have access to staples they need if others are hoarding them.