“And be sure to check on them often, either by phone or without entering their room all the way, because they can take a turn for the worse very quickly.”. Bring their food and drink to their bedside table, and go back after a while to pick it up again, wearing a mask or cloth again. You will need to isolate to prevent the spread of the virus to others if: you have COVID-19; health authorities suspect you have COVID-19. This is why it is important that an exposed person … CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. How to protect your household during coronavirus. Clean high-touch surfaces and objects regularly (for example, daily or after each use) and after you have visitors in your home. Try these "best practice" tips. Make sure they keep taking any other medicines they would usually take, unless their doctor has told them to stop. Plan to order delivery from restaurants and grocery stores, or ask friends or family if they are able to shop for you, and leave the items outside your front door. (Michigan Medicine physicians have reviewed the evidence about these medications and others that have been in the news for COVID-19; see more information here.) Make sure the person who is sick drinks a lot of fluids and rests. Consider having the items delivered through a delivery service, if possible. Someone who has had COVID-19, whether they got tested or not, should stay home and away from others until they meet the following criteria: As of July 2, 2020, CDC guidelines state that if you think or know someone has had COVID-19, they can be with others only after they’ve been fever-free, without medication, for three days AND their respiratory symptoms have improved (this includes coughing or shortness of breath) AND it has been 10 days since their symptoms first appeared. SEE ALSO: Are Digestive Issues a Symptom of COVID-19? See Caring for Someone Who Is Sick at Home for more information. Help them track their symptoms: Have them take their temperature several times a day, without getting close to them. Plan to order delivery from restaurants and grocery stores, or ask friends or family if they are able to shop for you, and leave the items outside your front door. “If … As the nation works to fight the spread of the virus, and care for the sick, we’re all affected in some way. Clean them more frequently if people in your household are. After all, testing for the virus may not be available or deemed necessary—even for someone who shows mild symptoms of infection or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19. Keep their laundry separate: Bring changes of clothes and pajamas to them if they’re not already in the sick room. © Copyright 2021 Regents of the University of Michigan. 7. You can safely help them cope with their symptoms at home, while protecting yourself and anyone else you live with. (Michigan Medicine physicians have reviewed the evidence about these medications and others that have been in the news for COVID-19; .) Editor’s note: Information on the COVID-19 crisis is constantly changing. If you have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, you will be asked to self-isolate for 10 days. Think like a combination of nurse and hotel room service. They will tell you what to do. - Clean your hands often and thoroughly with soap or alcohol rub. Now that you and others in your home have had contact with someone who has or might have COVID-19, you could carry the virus with you to work or the store, even if you don’t have symptoms. Bring changes of clothes and pajamas to them if they’re not already in the sick room. Tell your boss you have someone in your home with symptoms, and ask if this means you should stay home or wear a mask at work. Note: During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical grade masks are reserved for healthcare workers and some first responders. You don’t have to tell your whole social media network, but at least tell a few people you can rely on. Help them hydrate: Make sure they’re drinking a lot of water and other non-alcoholic clear liquids. Check on them frequently by phone or text, and offer to drop off food, medicines or things to help make them comfortable. Caregivers can leave their home 14 days after their last close contact with the person who is sick (based on the time it takes to develop illness), or 14 days after the person who is sick meets the, The best way to protect yourself and others is. COVID-19 spreads between people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets, created when someone talks, coughs or sneezes. Make sure the person who is sick drinks a lot of fluids and rests. Even if they can’t get tested right now, or you’re waiting for their test results, you’re better off taking the same precautions you would take if you knew that they had the virus. Whether you’re a host or a guest, we’ve outlined steps you can take if you or someone in contact with the space is suspected to have—or has been confirmed to have—COVID-19. 9. Use a separate bathroom, if possible. The sick person should separate themselves from others in the home. Interested in a COVID-19 clinical trial? If my illness can help someone else be less ill, then it is my moral duty to make that happen, just as staying home right now is … If possible, have the person who is sick stay in their own “sick room” or area and away from others. Write down the readings, and note when new symptoms occur. For more about caring for someone with known or suspected COVID-19, and for CDC guidelines for asymptomatic carriers, those who are immunocompromised (have weakened immune systems) and those who think they have been exposed to the coronavirus, visit the CDC’s website. Dispose of tissues after one use. They can bring you supplies from the ‘outside world’ and leave them on your doorstep, or ship them to you. Wear gloves when you touch or have contact with the sick person’s blood, stool, or body fluids, such as saliva, mucus, vomit, and urine. The tiny coronavirus that’s causing big problems around the world has made it into your home. Use technology to connect: It may seem silly to do a video chat or voice call with someone in the next room, but it can give the sick person human contact with you, your children or pets, and others in the home, without spreading the virus. This can ease the awfulness of being sick and stuck in one room. In most situations, cleaning alone removes most virus particles on surfaces. If that's not possible, try to keep as much of a distance as possible between beds. They can walk your dog, though you should wipe down the leash first. Make sure the sick person understands how much to take – read the label on the bottle and follow it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or moral support: It’s OK to let friends, neighbors and family know that someone you live with is sick, and to seek and accept their help while not letting them near the sick person. Help them with grocery shopping, filling prescriptions, and getting other items they may need. Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone. Participate in a public health interview If someone with COVID-19 tells public health they have recently been in close contact with you, They can bring you supplies from the ‘outside world’ and leave them on your doorstep, or ship them to you. Focus on high-touch surfaces and objects (doorknobs, tables, handles, light switches, phones, remote controls, and countertops). This includes tables, hard-backed chairs, doorknobs, light switches, remote controls, handles on cabinets and refrigerators, desks, toilets, sinks, computer keyboards and mice, tablets, and more. The caregiver, when possible, should not be someone who is at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Bring their food and drink to their bedside table, and go back after a while to pick it up again, wearing a mask or cloth again. - Don’t touch your face unless you’ve just cleaned your hands. What to do if someone in your … “When you’re living with someone who you think or know has COVID-19, you should support them physically and emotionally, while at the same time avoiding getting close, touching them or touching things they have touched that haven’t been cleaned yet,” says Tammy Chang, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., assistant professor of Family Medicine at Michigan Medicine. Clean, clean, clean: Go through your entire home and use disinfectant spray or wipes to clean everything the sick person might have touched when they were in the early stages of getting sick, or when they were contagious before developing symptoms. As everyone is now staying at home, you might be forced to spend more time in close contact with someone who has been exposed to a known case of coronavirus. For the latest numbers and updates, keep checking the CDC’s website. 4. Who is … Make sure they’re drinking a lot of water and other non-alcoholic clear liquids. Talk to their regular doctor about what to expect, b. ut if you or someone you live with or know has these symptoms, it's time to seek emergency care: higher risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19. But make sure they, and you, wear a mask or cloth over both mouth and nose when you’re taking them. Even if you don’t know for sure, assume they have it. Stay home yourself: Now that you and others in your home have had contact with someone who has or might have COVID-19, you could carry the virus with you to work or the store, even if you don’t have symptoms. 8. Keep the house or apartment quiet so they can sleep. For COVID-19, the period of quarantine is 14 days from the last date of exposure, because 14 days is the longest incubation period seen for similar coronaviruses. Call your doctor or emergency room and tell them your symptoms before going in. 2. A family medicine physician explains. Some less common but possible symptoms include diarrhea and suddenly losing their sense of smell or taste. If you have two bathrooms, make one of them the sick person’s bathroom, and don’t let anyone else use it. For more than 100 years, nurses and other health care workers have followed basic steps to take care of people with contagious diseases, while protecting themselves from infections. One may have washed their hands thoroughly while the other didn’t. As the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country – and the world – more people will become infected, and many of those will exhibit the … Try to stay at least 6 feet away from the sick person. help them cope with their symptoms at home, while protecting yourself and anyone else you live with. CDC twenty four seven. Who must go into isolation. If sharing a bed, even sleeping head to toe can help. Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. People at higher risk of severe illness should call their doctor as soon as symptoms start. Help the person who is sick follow their doctor’s instructions for care and medicine. Go through your entire home and use disinfectant spray or wipes to clean everything the sick person might have touched when they were in the early stages of getting sick, or when they were contagious before developing symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website. Put on a mask and ask the sick person to put on a mask  before entering the room. 12. Read about Michigan Medicine’s latest research and medical breakthroughs on our science-driven sister blog. If you have a yard, garden, patio, balcony or porch, spend time there to get outdoors, but stay six feet away from anyone who doesn’t live with you. Take care of their pet(s), and limit contact between the person who is sick and their pet(s) when possible. Help them understand how often they can take medicine to reduce their fever, like acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Make sure they can connect virtually with others, too – including relatives, friends, coworkers and faith organizations. Learn when and how to quarantine. But the sick person needs your support, as well as good hygiene skills. It keeps respiratory droplets contained and from reaching other people. MORE FROM MICHIGAN: Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Don’t let them take more than the recommended dose of any medicine, or use alcohol when taking a medicine that advises against it. Caregivers should stay home and monitor their health for COVID-19 symptoms while caring for the person who is sick. Keep the house or apartment quiet so they can sleep. Sharing a home with someone who has COVID-19 raises your risk of catching the virus. If someone in your household has tested positive for COVID-19, you might be wondering if you’re bound to get it too. First, don’t freak out. Some people get COVID-19 without knowing how they were exposed. 11. This helps stop the virus spreading to other people. If you don’t have more than one bedroom, give them the bedroom, and you can sleep on the couch or other temporary spot like an inflatable mattress, so you can still use the living room, kitchen and other spaces while they stay in their room. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, it's likely that you may know or live with someone who has the illness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone who has had a significant exposure to someone with COVID-19 infection needs to quarantine. Advice for caregivers in non-healthcare settings. If they’re bringing you something, ask them to put it down and step away so you can pick it up. Provide tissues. All … NOTICE: Except where otherwise noted, all articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. A person with coronavirus (COVID-19) or suspected to have it must enter mandatory isolation. Wash their clothes, towels and bedding separately from anyone else’s. They can walk your dog, though you should wipe down the leash first. Afterward, you, and they, should do a thorough cleaning of the ‘sick room’, including wiping down all hard surfaces, washing bedding including blankets, and vacuuming. Clean other surfaces in your home when they are visibly dirty or as needed. It’s very important that you stay at home if you have symptoms that may be caused by coronavirus (COVID-19), or you’ve had a positive test result. Find out when someone who is sick can safely end home isolation. If you have to see someone in person, do it outside your home, preferably outdoors, and stay at least six feet away from them. Disinfecting removes germs and reduces their spread. But connecting with one another in safe ways can help us cope. Health research is critical to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Pick a ‘sick room’: The sick person should stay in a bedroom with a door if at all possible, and not come out except to go to the bathroom. If possible, have the person who is sick use a separate bedroom and bathroom. Self-isolation is different to: social distancing – general advice for everyone to avoid close contact with other people Have them put it outside their door when it’s full, or wear a mask or cloth over your mouth and nose when you go in to get it. If you don’t have two, you’re going to have to clean every surface they touch after they go to the bathroom, so it’s clean when you or other people you live with need to use it. If they, or you, have a higher risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19, be especially watchful for these symptoms. No time to read? 13. Add the Michigan Medicine News Break to your Alexa-enabled device or subscribe for daily updates on iTunes, Google Play and Stitcher. - Clean surfaces with soap or disinfectants. Keep track of what the sick person has taken and when. Staying away from others helps stop the spread of COVID-19. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. Even if a couple were in the same room with the person, their levels of exposure may differ. Sign up to be considered for a clinical trial at Michigan Medicine. For more than 100 years, nurses and other health care workers have followed basic steps to take care of people with contagious diseases, while protecting themselves from infections. And don’t share water cups. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately: *This list is not all possible symptoms. 1. 3. Keep a window open in the sick room if possible, to keep air circulating. People with no symptoms can also be tested for coronavirus (COVID-19) in very specific circumstances: if they are a close contact exposed to someone known to have coronavirus (COVID-19) 5. Have them take their temperature several times a day, without getting close to them. Learn when and how to isolate. If someone you live with has COVID-19 symptoms but isn’t sick enough to need a hospital, now it’s your turn to provide “supportive care” while protecting your health. No one else should spend time in that room more than absolutely necessary. Help them with food, but keep your distance: Find a tray or cookie sheet that you can use to bring them food or drinks when they need it. Our researchers are hard at work to find vaccines and other ways to potentially prevent and treat the disease and need your help. Quarantine is recommended for 10 days following significant exposure. Children and pets should stay out. Anyone living with someone that has COVID-19 should quarantine too, which entails staying at home and monitoring symptoms. For medical emergencies, call 911 and tell the dispatcher that the person has or might have COVID-19. Caregivers and anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 should stay home, except in limited circumstances. If they can’t get out of bed: Wear a mask or cloth over your mouth and nose when you go in their room, and have them cover theirs too. If you have to see someone in person, do it outside your home, preferably outdoors, and stay at least six feet away from them. If someone in your household is well but has been told to isolate because they have been in contact with someone with COVID-19 outside the house, you should still attend campus as normal. You shouldn’t be having guests over anyway, or people working inside your home. “There’s a tremendous amount of anxiety and distress, and sometimes anger, resentment, and frustration, too,” she says. contact means that you have been within 6 feet of someone with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period of time. If you know someone who lives alone and has symptoms, ask if you can help with some of these same things without entering their home more than needed. Wash their dishes thoroughly with hot water and soap. 14. Don’t forget that you need emotional support and connection to help you get through your time as a COVID-19 caregiver. Keep a separate bedroom and bathroom for a person who is sick COVID-19 spreads between people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets, created when someone talks, coughs or sneezes. Keep the window of the car cracked open a bit to let air circulate. But if they’re running a fever, hacking away with a ‘dry’ cough, or feeling super tired for no apparent reason, it’s quite possible they do. It’s happened, or at least you think it has. "If you have had close contact, less than six feet away for 15 minutes, with someone who was potentially contagious with COVID-19 and has since tested positive, you … Listen to the article here: Sign up to be considered for a clinical trial at Michigan Medicine. If those options aren't available, wear a mask over your mouth and nose and make as few trips as possible.If you have a yard, garden, patio, balcony or porch, spend time there to get outdoors, but stay six feet away from anyone who doesn’t live with you. 13. If someone you live with has COVID … Write down the readings, and note when new symptoms occur. The coronavirus (COVID-19) has been spreading across America, where it’s caused more than 7.5 million cases and at least 210,000 deaths so far. Wash things they wore or used in the days before you isolated them in the ‘sick room.’, SEE ALSO: Viruses Live on Doorknobs and Phones and Can Get You Sick – Smart Cleaning and Good Habits Can Help Protect You. This can ease the awfulness of being sick and stuck in one room. Caregivers should continue to stay home after care is complete. Learn what to do when someone has symptoms of COVID-19 or when someone has been diagnosed with the virus. Even though testing is more readily available now, until someone is tested, you won't know for sure if your family member or friend has coronavirus or something else. - Make sure the sick person coughs into their mask or cloth, or their elbow or a tissue, to keep virus particles out of the air. Call their doctor if the person keeps getting sicker. To receive email updates about COVID-19, enter your email address: When it's safe for a person who has been sick to be around others, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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