How is COVID-19 getting sick now? Your doctor will look for these symptoms

On March 28, compulsory isolation was lifted due to coronavirus infection. Does this mean that after receiving a positive test, you are free to leave the house? Not completely. So what should you do if you suspect you have COVID-19? Do you need to see a doctor? And if so, what to expect from such a visit?

1. According to the currently valid ordinance, COVID-19 diagnostics will be performed mainly by GPs
2. They will perform antigen tests on patients and, based on a positive result, send them on a sick leave
3. Due to coronavirus infection, L4 is expected to last the same time as the current isolation, i.e. seven days
4. Detailed guidelines for doctors on how to deal with patients in whom the presence of SARS-CoV-2 is suspected or confirmed was issued by the national consultant in the field of family medicine, Dr. n. med. Agnieszka Mastalerz-Migas, prof. UMW
5. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

What symptoms will your doctor look for?

The dominant variant of the coronavirus in Poland is still Omikron (according to the GISAID database, it is responsible for 99,5% of COVID-19 cases). Therefore, a doctor who examines a patient with an upper respiratory tract infection will pay special attention to the characteristic symptoms of an Omikron infection:

1. cough, 
2. runny nose, 
3. feeling of nose blockage 
4. sore throat,
5. fever, 
6. tiredness, 
7. Headache,
8. changes in the sense of smell and taste 
9. muscle pain, 
10. gastrointestinal symptoms
11. dyspnoea.

Your doctor may do an antigen test for you

When choosing to see a doctor with such ailments, you must take into account that he will perform an antigen test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. From April 1, this law was given to GPs by the Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 25 March 2022 on the establishment of certain restrictions, orders and bans in relation to the state of the epidemic. Antigen tests are available at POZ free of charge and the doctor can use them at any time to diagnose a patient suspected of COVID-19.

In addition to the symptoms typical of COVID-19, the doctor will also take into account factors such as age, chronic diseases and immunodeficiency in the patient before deciding to perform the test.

1. See also: End of insulation from March 28. Ministry: who started the isolation earlier must complete it

The rest of the text below the video.

A doctor’s antigen test confirmed COVID-19. What now?

If the coronavirus infection is confirmed, the doctor will enter the antigen test result into the system (gabinet.gov.pl), he will recommend you to self-isolate and – if necessary (you are working) – write you a sick leave. It will last a minimum of seven days. Then he will instruct you on how to effectively relieve the symptoms of the infection you are experiencing, and he will also prescribe, if necessary, a prescription for drugs used to treat COVID-19 in Poland.

In addition, during the consultation, the doctor should instruct you on how to monitor your health yourself, so that you can react in time in case of deterioration. It goes, among others how to correctly measure body temperature, count breaths, measure blood pressure or saturation.

What medications for COVID-19 will be prescribed by the family doctor?

During your visit, a family medicine specialist will show you how to deal with the symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. These will be pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods. The former will include over-the-counter drugs as well as prescription-only drugs. In the guidelines of prof. Agnieszka Mastalerz-Migas, we can find drugs such as:

1. painkillers and antipyretics,
2. Inhaled budesonide (800 mcg twice daily for five to seven days)
3. cough suppressants such as dextromethorphan.

In patients at risk severe course of COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization, it is also recommended to use an antiviral drug available in health care centers, i.e. molnupiravir (Lagevrio).

1. Also read: Molnupiravir – here’s what you need to know about the first oral drug for COVID-19 [EXPLAINED]

However, as indicated in the recommendations, “in most cases, SARS-CoV-2 infection is mild and requires only rest, hydration and symptomatic treatment.

You may require hospitalization – the doctor will decide about referral to the hospital

There may be times when you have a severe COVID-19 course and need hospitalization. According to the guidelines, indications for hospital treatment include:

1. shortness of breath at rest and difficulty speaking
2. saturation <94%,
3. fever above 39 degrees C, lasting for more than 24 hours, “unbeatable”, especially in children and seniors,
4. cough that makes it difficult to breathe freely and speak
5. chest pain (to be verified by physical examination),
6. drop in blood pressure below 90/60 mmHg (if the patient is usually higher),
7. changes in consciousness and behavior, e.g. difficulty in waking the patient, difficult or impossible contact with the patient, loss of consciousness.

What is important, the primary care physician is not required to arrange a place in the hospital. This is the task of the locally competent COVID-19 sanitary transport dispatcher, whose position was created by the competent voivode.

1. Check also: On March 28, we say goodbye to the masks, but not everywhere. Where do we still have to wear them?

What if I did the antigen test myself?

In a situation where we have performed the coronavirus test ourselves, it is recommended to report this fact to your GP. He will conduct a standard interview on, inter alia, symptoms and determine what to do next. Talking to a doctor will also help determine how to alleviate the symptoms of infection and will be an opportunity to issue a sick leave, which is very helpful in the case of an illness that requires, above all, rest and regeneration.

Medical consultation is not obligatory and we can, of course, keep the knowledge of the infection to ourselves, but it is still worth staying at home and self-isolating. Thanks to this, we will prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which for many people is still a very big threat.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to emotions. Often times, a particular sight, sound or smell brings to mind a similar situation that we have already experienced. What opportunities does this give us? How does our body react to such an emotion? You will hear about this and many other aspects related to emotions below.

Also read:

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2. Neurologist: COVID-19 is highly traumatic, patients are like soldiers returning from missions
3. A new, more dangerous variant of the coronavirus is waiting for us? Moderna’s boss forecasts and warns
4. The pandemic has raised pensions again. New life tables