What to have in the home first aid kit in the event of an Omicron? The doctor lists

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The Omikron variant is much more infectious than Delta and the number of people in Poland who fell ill because of it is constantly growing. What medications should be kept at home to be ready for the disease caused by the Omikron variant? For MedTvoiLokony, it calculates the drug. Bartosz Fiałek.

1. More and more people in Poland are infected with the Omikron variant. The peak of the fifth wave caused by this variant is expected, according to Deputy Minister of Health Waldemar Kraska, in February
2. At the moment, it seems that Omikron is milder than the previous variants, and the main symptoms of the disease include runny nose, stuffy nose, muscle pain and fatigue.
3. Treatment of Omikron is based on the use of symptomatic pharmaceuticals. Currently, we do not have drugs that can be administered to also have a causal effect
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Medications for Omikron. It is worth having in the first aid kit

COVID-19 is a viral disease for which there is still no proven home remedy. Therefore, treatment in the case of an infected person is all the time based only on the fight against specific symptoms. So if you get a persistent runny nose, you can help yourself with nasal drops, and treat the fever (i.e. the temperature above 38,5 degrees C) with paracetamol or ibuprofen.

However, we should start symptomatic treatment, as the drug emphasizes. Bartosz Fiałek, from regeneration.

– At home, all medications that are used to treat the symptoms of viral respiratory disease, as well as gastrointestinal disease, can be useful, because in the case of infection with the Delta variant of the new coronavirus, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or bowel disorders can be noted. When we are infected, the first thing we need to do is isolate ourselves and rest. These recommendations do not apply directly to drugs, but we should have them in our first aid kit “in our head”. When we are infected, we should not overstrain, but rest and sleep a lot. This is important for our immune system and helps fight infection.

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Among the most important pharmaceuticals that can be useful during an infection with Omikron are painkillers and antipyretics.

– As far as standard drugs are concerned, we know that currently in home treatment we do not have substances that have antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, only symptomatic treatment is possible, not causal treatment. If we deal with pain, we take a painkiller. When a fever occurs, we take an antipyretic drug. Most often, an antipyretic drug is also a pain reliever, so we can deal with these two symptoms with one pill. And it does not matter whether we reach for paracetamol or ibuprofen. Both active substances will be effective – explains the expert.

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However, the cough that may appear in the course of the disease is a bit more complicated. Here you need to be vigilant and, if necessary, see a doctor.

– As for the cough, I would have some doubts here. Because if we have a cough and it is accompanied by shortness of breath, we already use specialist medical care. If it’s a chronic cough, but no shortness of breath or chest pain, then yes, we can use an over-the-counter cough suppressant depending on the type of cough: dry or wet. As for the stronger drugs, these can only be obtained with a prescription. We know that inhaled steroids help people at high risk of severe COVID-19. Firstly, they shorten the course of the disease, secondly, they reduce the risk of hospitalization, so it is good to use them. However, it is the doctor who has to assess the risk of disease progression and, above all, its course in a given patient.

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The list of medications to keep at home in case of an Omicron infection is therefore short and not too complicated.

— To sum up: in the first aid kit we should have antipyretic and analgesic drugs, of course, those to which we are not allergic, and possibly antitussive drugs. In addition, we should rest, drink a lot and frequently ventilate the room in which we arrive.

The rest of the text is below the video.

Do I need a pulse oximeter for the Omikron?

A pulse oximeter is a small and relatively cheap device used to measure the saturation (oxygen saturation of the blood). For the previous variants, doctors recommended that it be kept at home and used regularly. Saturation below 95% (89% in the case of people with chronic lung diseases) is a signal that the patient’s condition requires medical attention. In such a situation, you should call an ambulance. Is the pulse oximeter still needed with the Omikron variant, which is considered to be softer than its predecessors? According to drug. Bartosz Fiałek, yes.

– I believe that in certain situations the use of a pulse oximeter is helpful because sometimes patients are not able to accurately assess their condition objectively. Remember that dyspnea is a subjective symptom. Sometimes a person starts to feel short of breath the moment they find out that they have contracted COVID-19. This is the result of a psychogenic reaction. Therefore, it is worth using a pulse oximeter, which is a very easy-to-use device. It is enough to put it on your finger (which should be dry, warm and without a painted nail). In this way, you can actually assess the hemoglobin oxygen saturation, that is, determine whether a person has objective dyspnea or the cause is different.

Symptoms of Omikron infection [LIST]

The list of possible symptoms of infection with the Omikron variant is constantly growing. As part of the ZOE COVID Study program, it was possible to isolate 20 symptoms that occur most often in the infected. The appearance of such ailments could indicate COVID-19 caused by the Omikron variant. In such a situation, it is worth performing a PCR test and self-isolating so as not to infect other people.

The most common symptoms of an Omikron infection are:

1. katar
2. headache
3. fatigue
4. sneezing
5. sore throat
6. cough
7. hoarseness
8. chills
9. fever
10. bewilderment
11. «Brain fog»
12. loss of taste
13. eye pain
14. muscle pain
15. lack of appetite
16. loss of smell
17. pain in the chest
18. enlarged lymph nodes
19. general feeling of being unwell
20. scratchy throat

Also read:

1. “Coagulation cascade”. A neurologist explains why people with COVID-19 often have strokes and strokes
2. 20 symptoms of Omicron. These are the most common
3. “All those who want to live should get vaccinated.” Is it enough to protect yourself from the Omicron?
4. How to wear masks in winter? The rule is more important than ever. Experts observe
5. The Omicron Wave is approaching. 10 things that can stop her

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