Last week’s news was dominated by the positive reality that not just one, but two COVID-19 vaccines were developed. This, unfortunately, contrasts with the fact that there are an increasing number of COVID-19 cases across the country. Even with all the care everyone is taking, people are still contracting this virus. As an emergency physician, I am often asked by patients how they contracted COVID-19, although they are taking all necessary measures to protect themselves. Here are 5 common ways you have hired COVID-19. Keep reading and, to ensure your health and that of others, do not miss these sure signs that you have had the coronavirus.
Unlike most common viruses, COVID-19 created a large number of symptomatic carriers. These individuals are actively infected with the virus, but have no symptoms. Although fevers, chills, cough or even loss of smell are common, many people have no symptoms. It is difficult to quarantine a person when he shows no external signs of COVID-19 infection. The possibility of being close to an infected person, but without showing signs of infection, is one of the main factors behind the recommendations to minimize contact with those who do not live in your home.
Many patients show signs of upper respiratory viruses, but when tested for COVID-19, the result is negative. This phenomenon is well known to those working in the Emergency Room. Many tests, such as influenza or COVID-19, must be collected properly within a certain period of time after the onset of symptoms to be accurate. Many patients come to the emergency room with symptoms, with a negative smear and many return to normal activities. In reality, there is a possibility that your symptoms will progress or continue and they are COVID-19 positive. If you have any symptoms of an upper respiratory tract virus, it is important to quarantine until it improves.
A diagnosis of COVID-19 was accompanied by a recommendation to be quarantined for almost two weeks. Although the specifications for the recommended quarantine time have changed over the course of this pandemic, it is at least 10 days and 48 hours without any symptoms. It can be difficult for patients to be quarantined for so long, especially since many patients have few or no symptoms. If a patient has been diagnosed with COVID-19 but is starting to feel better, he may still be infected, and it is very possible that he is transmitting COVID-19 to other people.
As any member of the health community can attest, there was a very worrying discovery that COVID-19 is passed through droplets that can be suspended in the air. It is the main reason why doctors and other healthcare professionals are so commonly portrayed with n95 masks when working in the hospital. This is important for anyone if you are at a distance from other people. If someone coughs and the air becomes stagnant, it is possible that you come in contact with the viral particle and thus become infected.
Many people are taking strict precautions to limit the transmission of COVID-19. As hospital systems observed in those few weeks after Thanksgiving, you cannot control the other people around you. There are countless patients currently suffering from COVID-19 who have been meticulous about their health and social detachment. Your family members, however, may not have been so strict in limiting interactions with people. Unless you can control where you and your family have been and how everyone has met the social detachment guidelines, this can certainly increase your risk of transmitting COVID-19.
There are still many ways for you to get COVID-19, mainly by not wearing a mask and being around other people. If you have contracted COVID-19 but are unable to track your infection by direct contact with an actively sick person, there are certainly other ways that you may have fallen ill. Holidays are very difficult to navigate in a normal year, but the pandemic has certainly added a layer of complexity. With the use of masks and vaccinations, this pandemic may be closer than ever to the end. And to overcome this pandemic in the healthiest way, do not miss these 35 places you’re most likely to reach COVID.