When should You seek Medical Attention for the Coronavirus?
Most COVID-19 victims experience similar symptoms including breathing difficulties, fatigue, loss of smell or taste, and shortness of breath. While these symptoms are certainly troubling, the condition doesn’t always turn out to be life-threatening. But this isn’t always a guarantee. So it’s important to understand when you need to seek medical attention for the COVID-19 virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, be alert and watch for the following 5 warning signs:
- blue, gray, or pale lips, nail beds, and skin
- brain fog, forgetfulness, or unusual confusion
- difficulty getting up in the morning
- persistent chest pain or pressure
- trouble staying awake during the day
These symptoms could indicate that you’re in impending, life-threatening danger and should call 911 immediately. At the very least, we recommend that you make an urgent appointment to see your doctor.
That being said, when should you seek medical attention if your one of many individuals that are immunocompromised? If you’re especially prone to respiratory distress, you may require emergency medical attention before your condition worsens. Individuals who are diabetic, elderly, or have a pre-existing, underlying medical condition such as COPD or other lung disease should seek emergency care as soon as they notice any COVID-19 symptoms. It could prevent the problem from getting much more serious.
Immediate emergency medical attention for COVID-19 should only be handled by a healthcare professional. Short of the special cases and emergency symptoms outlined above, most normal individuals should consider having a PCR COVID test procedure inThornhill performed by an All-Health Medical Centre specialist. Furthermore, if you suspect that you’ve been exposed to the COVID-19 virus, it’s recommended that you be tested within 2 weeks of the suspected exposure. Additionally, as a safety precaution, it would help to isolate at home until the tests results come.
After that 2-week period has elapsed, the chances of testing yielding a false negative increase dramatically. A false negative result occurs when the testing failed to reveal the presence of the virus even though you’re already infected. We recommend keeping several PCR COVID test kits inThornhill at home. In so doing, you’re always prepared for testing yourself at home, even if you’re anticipating a positive RT-PCR test result with All Health Medical Centre of some other healthcare provider.
For most individuals, recovering from COVID-19 shouldn’t be a problem provided you get sufficient rest and self-isolate at home. If you’re immunocompromised or stay ill longer than anticipated, seeking the advice of a healthcare professional is always the recommended course of action. For more information about COVID-19 testing, call All Health Medical Centre at (866) 837-8447 today.