Respiratory Infection Symptoms: How to Treat the Coronavirus

Category: Healthy Living

Author

Posted on March 18, 2020

Vanessa is a health writer and blogging expert. Her specialities are medicine, health and wellness. She is proud to call Vancouver, BC her home where she enjoys the ocean and mountains with her dog Mr. ChowChow.



respiratory infection symptoms

Many people worldwide have been infected with the new coronavirus. It’s so widespread that to date China, South Korea, Italy, France, the US, and the Caribbean have all reported cases. Which respiratory infection symptoms are similar to those in Coronavirus.

Is there a way to contain this rapidly spreading and highly contagious virus?

Experts believe that preventative measures as well as identifying the symptoms early could help.

If you suffering from respiratory infection symptoms that you think might be the coronavirus, you need to know what to do to stop the infection. Read on to find out.

What Exactly Is the Coronavirus?

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronaviruses causing respiratory illness in those infected. With the first case being identified in Wuhan, China which has now been declared the epicenter of the virus, the virus is one out of a group of common viruses.

These viruses are so named because of the crown-like spikes found on their surface. While some coronaviruses only affect animals there are cases where they can be transmitted to humans. These diseases normally provoke mild to moderate respiratory infection symptoms in those affected but they can also trigger severe illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

Respiratory Infection Symptoms and the Coronavirus

Transmission of the infection is done from an infected person to another individual via respiratory droplets. So when someone who has the virus coughs or sneezes and you inhale it, you are highly likely to get infected. Experts believe though that this only happens once you are within six feet of the infected person.

Experts also state that you can get infected by touching a surface or an object that is filled with the virus and then touching your nose, mouth or eyes. However, this is not the main means of transmission. Touching and shaking hands with an infected person and then touching your eyes, face, and the nose is also a means of transmission.

Are You Among Those at Risk for the Virus and How to Identify Respiratory Infection Symptoms?

Those who bear a higher risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus are young children, the elderly and pregnant women. Symptoms normally appear in a cold or flu-like from as early as two to four days after getting infected. They are usually mild to moderate. These include:

  • Runny nose
  • Sore throat
  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Headache

However, the virus can cause severe symptoms that may lead you to develop bronchitis and pneumonia. Some of these more severe symptoms are:

  • Coughing up mucus
  • Chest pain and tightness
  • High fever
  • Shortness of breath

Severe symptoms tend to be particularly common in those affected by heart and lung disease and have weak immune systems.

How Can the Coronavirus Be Diagnosed and Treated?

To diagnose you with the virus, your doctor will first listen to your medical history and then ask about your symptoms.

They will move on to conduct a physical examination as well as get some blood tests done. Lastly, they’ll get some labwork done for any respiratory specimen.

It is important for you to know that there is no vaccine for the virus and so there is no specified treatment. However, to alleviate your symptoms you can take over the counter medications for fever, cough and pain relief. Experts advise that you stay inside, get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids and use a room humidifier or hot showers to ease coughing and sore throat.

For children exhibiting symptoms please remember that you shouldn’t give them any aspirin or give children younger than four years old any cough medicine.

If you require more help with your symptoms, visit your doctor.

How Can You Prevent the Coronavirus?

Again there is no designated vaccine for COVID-19. That’s not to say that there aren’t some measures that you can take to limit the transmission of the virus.

First, always wash your hands with soap and water often for at least twenty seconds. If there is no soap then substitute with a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Do not use your unwashed hand to touch your face, mouth or nose and stay away from sick people. Clean surfaces that you touch frequently with disinfectant.

More importantly when you cough or sneeze use a tissue. Then get rid of it in the rubbish and wash your hands. If you are sick, stay home.

What Are Experts Doing to Fight Against Coronavirus?

Scientists tasked with creating a drug to fight the virus are now looking into repurposing existing antiviral drugs.

Repurposing means that the scientists will create additional value from an existing antiviral drug by going after diseases for which the drug was not originally intended to treat.

The benefits are that they will have a higher chance of success, lower cost and a shorter timeframe for availability. From their research, the scientists have specified a few drugs that possess the potential to treat the virus. These are teicoplanin, emetine, monensin, oritavancin, and dalbavancin.

They are doing the necessary research as quickly as they can to develop a potential treatment for the COVID-19 virus.

Prevention is Better than Cure

If you are having respiratory infection symptoms, don’t take any chances, get checked out as soon as possible to ensure that it’s not coronavirus.

Given the quick transmission of the virus, you don’t want to take any chances. If you have a runny nose, fever, sore throat or difficulty breathing, these are just a few COVID-19 symptoms.

While there is no vaccine to treat or prevent the virus, knowing how it is spread and the preventative measures to reduce getting infected can make a huge difference.

It is important to wash your hands, disinfect surfaces, stay away from sick people and stay inside if you’re feeling sick. There are no specified medicines or treatment but over the counter medications can go a long way in easing pain, cold and fever. So too does warm showers and a room humidifier.

If you would like to order medications online then feel free to contact us. We specialize in making it easy for you to purchase your medications online.

Sign up to receive exclusive discounts & offers, medication updates, & health news delivered to your inbox.