A New York City nurse who struggled to get tested for COVID-19 worked for about a week while infected.
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CNN reported the nurse, 44, who worked with patients who had coronavirus, finally tricked her way into getting tested, asking a colleague in ER to administer the test. It started with an achiness in her back. Sixteen days later, she lost her sense of smell and the following day, experienced chest pain and knew she had the virus, according to the report.
When she got the test results showing she was infected, she was at work and was halfway through her shift. She now worries she may have infected her family and colleagues.
Loss of taste and smell is emerging as definitive signs of the COVID-19 virus, along with other symptoms including shortness of breath, fatigue, dry cough, sore throat and fever.
A recent Chinese investigation suggests COVID-19 is highly sensitive to high temperatures and spreads faster in colder climates.
Since a fever is the way your body fights off a viral infection, you can simulate a fever by raising your core body temperature. This can be done in a sauna, steam bath, or by exercising enough to induce sweating.
During the 2003 SARS epidemic, the World Health Organization reported that, "Heat at 56°C kills the SARS coronavirus at around 10,000 units per 15 minutes." Chances are COVID-19 may be equally susceptible at this temperature.
The antiviral effects of sauna bathing is the subject of many studies. In one clinical study regular sauna bathers had half the rate of common cold compared to nonusers. Those who use a sauna at least two or three times per week also had a lower risk of influenza and pneumonia.
Sauna use kills bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses and boosts your immune function by increasing white blood cell, lymphocyte, neutrophil and basophil counts.
Just being away from family and friends and thinking you or members of your family may be infected with COVID-19 every time you cough or feel tired is enough to put any human being under incredible stress.
Limiting contact with others and worrying constantly can lead to isolation, anxiety, loneliness and depression. Even prior to COVID-19, loneliness and isolation was at epidemic levels.
To ease the pain of isolation, try to stay connected by video chatting with family and friends. Other creative solutions people have come up with include live-streamed DJ sets, online book clubs, cooking classes and other online events conducted via video conferencing or video chats.
For those who were already isolated to begin with, the recommendation to connect through technology may not help much, since they lack a social network. Many of the most vulnerable, such as the elderly and disabled, also lack the technical know-how. For these individuals, the answer really lies in a compassionate reaching out by others, perhaps complete strangers.
To relieve anxiety, try not watching the news 24/7 as well as meditation, exercise, connecting with nature or Emotional Freedom Techniques, a psychological acupressure technique based on the same energy meridians used in acupuncture, but instead of stimulating the pathways with needles, EFT uses tapping with your fingertips along while voicing positive affirmations.