If COVID-19 infected, what next?

Are you COVID-19(SARS-CoV2) Positive?

Primary Action plan:

Immediately isolate yourself from other friends and family including your wife. Stay in a separate room, maintain a minimum distance of 6 feet from each other.
Don’t share common toiletries and household utensils and other things like water-bottle. If possible have a separate bathroom for yourself or else carefully disinfect every time of use. Ask your family members to get food and essential things carefully to your room with proper sanitization.

Reconfirm the possibility!

- Do you have any travel History or any chance of coming in contact with a positive patient?
Symptoms like cough and cold are common in India. Primary symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. To be precautious, go to a private hospital and consult a physician to be at almost safety!!
If you're having travel history or contact history, call helpline no.1075-  they shall guide you which information like the hospital to visit and also arrange state medical emergency transport (Ambulance) and team. This team shall contaminate and thoroughly quarantine your home and family members according to the protocol given.

Who to approach?

If you have travel or contact history call 1075 or local Government Medical Emergency no. like 104.
if you have - Fever, Dry Cough without travel or contact history, Immediately rush to a private hospital and get a checkup done by a physician. Remember that Private hospitals in India are more sanitized. To get tested, a physician's prescription is mandatory even at a private laboratory.

What will happen to me?

First, they shall isolate you until the reports come. You have to stay patient and cooperate with the staff and officials.
If Negative - they shall discharge from the hospital and ask you to stay in home quarantine until the next 14 days and report back if your condition gets critical.
If Positive - They will shift you to a COVID-19 ward where special treatment and high sanitation measures are taken. Your vitals and symptoms shall be monitored regularly. Prophylactic treatment like Hydrocholoquine shall be given to decrease the viral load and other drugs might be used based on symptoms and your condition like anti-viral therapy.
Will I be on a ventilator? - If your blood oxygen level is below the normal level, measured by pulse oximeter and you're showing shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing then doctors will put you on a ventilator to assist breathing.
Ultimately many factors play a role in deciding your course of treatment.

Am I going to Die?

It is not quite obvious, the situation depends on various factors, how quickly you started getting treated and how well you respond to it. Luckily, 80% of the positive cases do not require hospitalization. Symptoms like Pneumonia and ARDS need ventilator support. People with more critical conditions mostly get admitted like breathlessness, high fever and continuous cough. The mortality rates are higher in patients older than 60years and having co-morbidities like Diabetes, Hypertension, respiratory disorders and other conditions.

What will happen to my family members?

They will be safe if you follow WHO Protocols. I recommend them to quarantine themselves for 14 days if your positive and also to listen and constantly be in touch with health officials. If you're only a suspected case, then practice maintaining social distancing and self isolate each other by staying in one particular place. I advise everyone, not to go outside as you risk infecting others.

When will I be discharged?

Assuming your symptoms are getting better and your health condition is improving. Then, 2 criteria are checked before you get discharged.
First, your Chest X-ray must be clear without any lung complications like fibrosis.
Second, a minimum of 2 consecutive COVID-19 tests within 24h must be negative after a minimum period of 14 days from the time of the first symptoms appeared.

Once effected by COVID-19, Patient gets immune to a certain extent but still maintain social distancing as there are chances of re-infection.

"Prevention is better than cure"