How You Can Be in Control of COVID and Flu

As I write this I am hearing that we have reached another COVID 19 peak and are hopefully on a downhill slide toward normalcy or at least a new norm. We hope. It has been a rough two years for many, filled with tragedy, frustration, and fear. The emotional toll of dealing with a global pandemic cannot be taken lightly, for patients or healthcare providers. As with many of life’s bumps, we cope by being able to understand, take action and feel some sense of control. Whether it is a flu epidemic like we saw in the early 2000s with the H1N1 flu (which was a SARS variant similar to COVID 19) or the ever-elusive and evolving COVID variants, feeling some semblance of control helps people cope. Following are some strategies I have gleaned from many of my colleagues in the healthcare field that will hopefully allow you to feel some control.

How Do We Keep From Getting Flu and/or COVID?

The same principles apply to both flu and COVID, and that is to begin by being as healthy as possible so that your immune system can help you. Maintaining appropriate body weight, eating healthy foods, and staying physically active are critical to your body performing the way it is built to perform. We know that the COVID virus has an affinity for people who are obese, with some research indicating that the virus seems to bind to fat cells. If you are not the weight you know you should be, now is a great time to take steps to address that, and there is plenty of help out there for you. Proper nutrition should be easy but Americans seem to struggle most in that department. Most people KNOW what they should eat, but become tempted to the easy route of fast foods, or simply crave sugar or what we know is unhealthy. Next time you go to the grocery store before you check out, divide your shopping buggy into healthy foods and unhealthy foods and review what you are buying. You wouldn’t put trash gasoline into an expensive luxury vehicle, so why would you put trash food into your body? Then there is exercise. Many people think you have to perform a grueling Peloton workout or run 10 miles a day to be fit. NOT SO! Some movement is better than no movement. Simply walking for 30 min every day has health benefits that are better than camping out with Netflix and eating Cheetos. And it can be a leisurely walk as well.

Next are the three things we have been hearing all along, and apply to both flu and COVID. WAIT six feet away from others, WEAR a mask, and WASH your hands. Both flu and COVID can be transmitted as follows:

• By airborne respiratory droplets…..so don’t breathe other people’s air. If you are close enough (within 6 feet) to breathe in the air someone breathes out, you are too close. This is also where masks come in. We now know that the best preventive mask is the N95 or KN95. I continue to be amazed at the divisiveness caused by masks. We don’t mind getting outrageous tattoos or wearing ridiculous hats, but a mask seems to cause a stir. Or, as my grandmother used to say, maybe it is just an excuse to carry on over something and get attention. Regardless of what you believe, masks, worn PROPERLY, will reduce your exposure.
• By skin-to-skin contact – shaking hands and hugging. Again, stay back and elbow bump if you must
• By saliva – kissing and sharing drinks – we learned about cooties in kindergarten
• By touching a contaminated surface – WASH YOUR HANDS often and avoid habits like licking your fingers to separate your money or opening a plastic bag in the produce section of the grocery store

Finally – Get vaccinated and boosted. The flu vaccine is necessary every year. Covid is currently two vaccines and a booster. According to Mike Zimmerman in a recent article in the AARP Bulletin, “the two vaccines can be given simultaneously and function so peacefully together that drugmakers are working on a single flu-COVID combo vaccine that could be available in autumn 2022.” I could argue all day long about the importance of vaccines, and there are some who are just unable to understand what they are and how they work. Vaccines have never been touted as 100% effective – not even the Polio vaccine. But they go a long way in preventing disease and minimizing symptoms if you do get it. I personally know a number of friends and even family who chose not to get vaccinated and have died of COVID. I do not know anyone who has died from the vaccine.

What Do You Do if You Are Exposed to COVID or Flu?

If you know you have been exposed – i.e., breathed the same air as someone else for up to 15 minutes – like eating a meal with someone who has tested positive for either, there are things you can do.

First, quarantine until you are sure you don’t have either and can spread it. The sneaky thing about both COVID and flu is that you can be contagious BEFORE you have symptoms. So if you wait until you “get sick” to stay away from others, it could be too late. According to Dr. Chet Amin, a local board-certified Family Medicine physician who has seen every aspect of COVID during the past two years, there is a difference between quarantining and isolating. To quarantine means to stay home, don’t go out where you can spread germs, and don’t get in the face of your family members.

If you are exposed, there are things you can do that involve shoring up your immune system. Some health care providers have even published a “Post Exposure” protocol that includes over-the-counter products that may be helpful to boost your immune system and reduce the inflammation that can come with illness. (See COVID 19 Post Exposure At-Home Management published by the Macon County Health Department attached). It is also important to contact your doctor because he/she may have specific things they want you to do based on your own health status.

You should also get tested 3-5 days post-exposure to determine if you are positive.

Amy Smith, Health Educator for the Rowan County Health Department recently wrote the following,

As a reminder, there are three types of COVID-19 tests that are currently available. They are the rapid antigen test, the PCR test, as well as the at-home test. Each test has its own pros and cons with its accuracy and the time it takes to find out a result. So, what are the differences between these three types of tests?

Rapid antigen tests detect COVID-19 when people have a higher amount of the COVID-19 virus particles in their system and are more contagious. However, a negative rapid antigen test doesn’t necessarily mean you are not contagious. That’s why if someone has COVID-19; but has not yet reached the test’s threshold of viral particles, they may still test negative with an antigen test, but then test positive with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. That is why an individual using this type of test should be more skeptical about a negative result, especially if you are having symptoms and/or you know you have been exposed to someone that is positive. In this situation, you should then seek out a PCR test.

PCR tests are far more sensitive than antigen tests. They’re able to detect smaller quantities of the COVID-19 virus and detect them sooner and for a longer amount of time than antigen tests. While PCR tests are considered the gold standard for a COVID-19 diagnosis, a PCR test is not necessary for those individuals who have already tested positive with a rapid antigen test. That’s important to know as wait times for PCR tests continue due to the increased demand for tests. In short and just to reiterate, any positive test (PCR or antigen) counts as a positive, but a negative antigen test needs to be confirmed with a PCR test.

For those of you interested in having a rapid, at-home antigen test on hand, the following things should be considered as well:

• If you’re taking an at-home COVID-19 test, consider any positive result to mean you have COVID-19. You don’t need to confirm this with a PCR test. Even if it’s an extremely faint line, you should consider yourself infected and begin to isolate yourself from others.
• If you’re unclear about what your test result says, isolate yourself and repeat the test in six to 12 hours. You will likely see a clearer line on the test strip at a later time.
• Don’t forget, a negative at-home test is only reliable for eight to 12 hours, and it still doesn’t guarantee that you are COVID-free. You should get a PCR test as soon as possible, especially if you are having symptoms or if you were exposed to a positive person.

Flu tests are completed in a physician’s office.

Dr. Celia Entwistle, a Board Certified Emergency Physician with years of experience working in both the military and civilian world emphasizes, “Do not go to the ER or doctor’s office for a Covid test or because you tested positive. People who need to be seen in person are those who are at-risk and have tested positive and having significant symptoms.”  Being at risk includes having other illnesses that make you vulnerable, such as being immunocompromised, or being older than 65.

What To Do if You Test Positive?

If you do test positive, then you need to isolate for five days and wear a mask for ten. That means choosing a closed-off room in your house and staying away from your family members completely for five days with the first day of a positive test being day zero. Use different eating utensils and do everything possible to keep your germs contained. Dr. Amin stresses that during an isolation period, you should stay active. Open the curtains to get sunlight. Bathe and get dressed each day. Get out of bed move around in your room and use the time to engage mentally in more than TV or social media. It is a great time to read, work puzzles, or work on crafts. (Your family or caretaker can leave supplies outside your door). Above all, do not become a zombie during the five days. Emotional health is important in your recovery.

For the flu, we have a drug called Tamiflu, that if given within 48 hours of flu symptom onset can help reduce the length and symptoms of flu.  Similar drugs are being developed for COVID, such as Paxlovid which is on the market from Pfizer. Both require a physician’s prescription and can often be a challenge to find in the pharmacies.

It is important to be in touch with your physician and to let them know if you have any “red flags” such as shortness of breath, chest pain or fever that cannot be controlled by Tylenol or Ibuprofen, or any “can’t get out of bed” type excessive fatigue.

For everyone else who has flu or Covid symptoms and are not a high risk with no red flags, Dr. Entwistle emphasizes, “there are no treatments the doctor can give you that you cannot get at your local drugstore over-the-counter, such as decongestant, cough medicine, and Tylenol or ibuprofen.” You may want to keep a “flu kit” on hand (see attached photo), and throw in some chicken soup for good measure! And let’s all hope this is behind us soon.

​

Up Next