Columbus doctor shares tips on recovering from COVID-19 at home
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) – The CDC says roughly 12% of those diagnosed with COVID-19 will have to go to the hospital, which leaves 88% of those infected to recover at home. One local doctor shared tips to help patients overcome the virus from home.
Dr. Joyce Kim, Chief Medical Officer at Mercy Med Columbus, says there are healthy practices for patients to fight the virus from home. Those practices include, continuing to take daily vitamins, take medicine for symptom control such as Tylenol for muscle aches, staying hydrated when running a fever, and Dr. Kim also said patients should not be alarmed if you lose your appetite.
“The emphasis that we always take is even if you don’t really feel like eating, just make sure you’re drinking because that’s what’s going to keep your body going,” says Kim.
Dr. Kim says the key is to monitor your symptoms from mild to moderate to severe by using self-assessments found online. She also recommends most of her patients to purchase a pulse oximeter to monitor oxygen levels while recovering at home.
“Without making it sound light, most people do recover and become well again. It takes away a lot of the fear component because there’s still anxiety when it’s you that’s received the positive diagnosis,” says Kim.
Dr. Kim says it’s not necessary to get retested after showing signs of improvement because some people can test positive for up to three months after overcoming the virus.
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