Here's What You Might Want To Have On Hand In The Event That You Get Sick

If you're experiencing mild symptoms from COVID-19, there's a chance you might be able to recover at home.

As the fears and actual threats of COVID-19 grow, the CDC has provided a guide of what you can do to gauge your symptoms and possibly even recover at home.

CDC

Symptoms like fever or cough might be an indication that you have COVID-19. Most people will have mild symptoms of the illness and, according to the CDC, are able to recover at home. But keep track of your symptoms, home isolate if you live with others, and if you have any emergency warning signs (including trouble breathing), get medical attention right away.

Here's what you should have and can do to combat the symptoms.

Other than a two-week food supply these are the things you might want to have in your home and that you might want to do to recover.

Just a heads up, many stores are experiencing shipping delays so be thoughtful about when you place your orders, and only buy what you need.

1. Monitor your symptoms carefully — check your temperature and if you feel you're getting worse, call your healthcare provider.

Nickelodeon

While thermometers are selling out fast, the FSA Store currently has instant ear thermometers available and bonus, you can use your FSA account to buy it!

Get the Caring Mill Instant Ear Thermometer from the FSA Store for $24.99.

2. Drink a lot, a lot, a lot of water to stay hydrated and rest as much as possible.

NBC

You can get a case of six 23.7 fl. oz. bottle of alkaline water with electrolytes from Target for $4.99.

3. Keep a box of tissues at the ready to use when you cough and sneeze.

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The CDC and the World Health Organization recommend that you cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow. After every use, throw used tissues in the trash. Then, immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Get a four-pack of tissues (with 65 tissues each) from Target for $4.99.

4. Have some cough medicine and acetaminophen (Tylenol) on hand.

Target

Mucinex, Robitussin, DayQuil, NyQuil, or whatever your cough medicine of choice can work in helping alleviate some of the symptoms.

It is important to make sure and track how much acetaminophen you take every 24 hours. And be mindful that MANY over-the-counter cold medications contain acetaminophen and it is unnecessary to double up by taking both.

Get a bottle of 20 Mucinex Tablets from Target for $12.49 (also available in a bottle of 40).

5. Take your daily dose of vitamin C.

NBC

Some hospitals have even started treating COVID-19 patients with high doses of vitamin C. There is no evidence that vitamin C will prevent or cure COVID-19 but it can play a role in the body's healing process and protect cells against harmful free radicals.

Get a bottle of Airborne from GNC for $12.99.

6. Use a humidifier or sit in a steamy bathroom if you're experiencing chest congestion or cough.

Target

There are two types of humidifiers — *cool mist* keep your room's temperature the same, while *warm mist* boil the water before emitting mist, so they increase a room's temperature. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a cool-mist humidifier for kids with stuffy noses, as hot-water models can pose a safety risk.

If you don’t have a humidifier, you can also just turn the shower on hot and sit in the bathroom breathing in the steam.

Get this warm-mist humidifier from Target for $33.99.

7. Continue to disinfect your home, have extra sets of clean sheets, and a few pajama changes.

CDC

Healthline spoke with Dr. Shirin Peters who pointed out that “When you are sick, you can contaminate all the surfaces you come into contact with, hard surfaces can be disinfected, but clothing, sheets, and towels will need to be stored safely and laundered on a hot wash cycle before using them again.”

The CDC also provides a full guide to disinfecting your home (which includes a list of products you can use and a recipe for making your own at home).

8. Wear a face mask — the CDC is now recommending everyone wear a cloth face mask when they leave the house. If you care for someone who is sick you should wear a mask whenever you're around them.

CDC

Medical grade masks are obviously in scarce supply and should honestly be reserved for the health care providers who are on the front lines, saving lives. So the CDC recommends making a cloth face mask using something like a bandana or products you already have at home. The Surgeon General even did a pretty awesome tutorial that you can follow to make your own mask.

9. And please remember, stay at home and contact your healthcare provider if you're unsure about any of your symptoms.

Keerthik Sasidharan @KS1729

self quarantine #coronavirus

02:58 AM - 09 Mar 2020