Weekend Post
Well weve all been suffering this dreaded lockdown or covid for almost a year now. But just in case, I hope that this is helpful. I found this in one of mu Groups in Viber, sumone just posted it. Enjoy your week end guys and be safe!! it pays to be extra cautious is what I say. God Bless y'all.
Found this useful:
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR WHOLE HOUSEHOLD GETS COVID-19
I’ve been MIA for two weeks because yes, our whole family tested positive of COVID-19. By the grace of God, we are all well now. I’m writing this to help others create some sort of game plan because really, it pays to be prepared. The numbers are not getting lower and while I’d like to believe we’re all doing our best to avoid getting infected, this variant is really contagious so covering all bases is very crucial. I hope these pointers can help you.
1. ISOLATE ASAP
CONTEXT: Our household is composed of 4 adults and 2 kids (me, husband, 6-yo daughter, 1-yo son, 2 household help). My husband first felt symptoms Wednesday, Mar17 (over-fatigue) which turned into fever on Thurs and elevated BP. We initially thought it was just a BP issue, because his BP really gets high when stressed and this was not uncommon. But anyway, because praning, he got tested Friday Mar19 morning, got his result Sat Mar20 10PM. Boom! Positive.
Me and the two yayas started feeling symptoms (itchy throat) Saturday 8PM. Got a slot for testing Sunday Mar21 4pm, positive result came out Tuesday Mar23 12nn.
WHAT WE COULD’VE DONE DIFFERENTLY: The moment my husband felt symptoms on Wednesday, we should’ve isolated him right away, wore masks inside the house, and assumed he’s already positive even without the test. Act fast. No time to be in denial.
So the key is to have an isolation room ready, or an isolation plan in place. It’s hard to implement this in a lot of households (including ours) because we live in compact houses but this is something you really need to plan. Our whole family sleeps in the masters so the moment we got Mitor’s results, I had to scramble all our stuff downstairs and turn our living room into our temporary sleeping area (thank God for sofa beds!). If only I had the plan already in place, we could’ve moved faster and more efficient, like how firefighters move when there’s fire.
2. COVID-19 STARTER PACK
Here’s list of things you need to have ready. Make sure you have AT LEAST TWO SETS because one will stay with the person in isolation and the other set will be for the rest of the household.
✔️ Temperature gun
✔️ Oximeter
✔️ Blood pressure monitor
✔️Vitamins - Vitamin C 2000mg/day, Zinc 25-30mg/day, Vitamin D 2000iu/day
✔️ Paracetamol for fever, Betadyne gargle and throat spray
✔️ Medical-grade Masks. Since our kids are young and we can’t exactly isolate ourselves from them, me and the yayas were wearing masks 24/7. Hanggang sa pagtulog.
✔️ Oxygen tank (if you have asthma or if you just wanna be extra ready because the moment your oxygen level goes down to 92, you need to bring yourself to the hospital as per the husband’s doctor and we all know hospitals are super full so might as well have the oxygen tank on standby so you can manage it at home)
✔️ Nebulizer - very useful for managing your cough, just make sure to consult with a pulmonologist for the right meds and dosage
✔️ If you’re Catholic, a rosary
✔️ Turmeric tea instant mix- really good to soothe the throat. My friend sent me a bunch from Yamang Bukid (available in Shopee or Lazada)
✔️ Cutlery set - no sharing of utensils, each person needs have their own, so include na rin a dishwashing soap and sponge for the person in isolation so he can wash his own utensils
✔️ Paper plates - have a stock ready so you will just put food there for the person in isolation and derecho tapon na after he eats
🔴 Other things to buy the moment you test positive:
✔️ Medicines prescribed by your doctor (this can be antibiotics, mucolytic, cough meds, etc depending on your symptoms and how severe it is)
✔️ Fruits, lots of it. Lemon for water, oranges and bananas for snacking, and other fruits you like
3. SET UP A COMMAND CENTER
Do not be dyahe to ask for help. But I know it can get stressful replying to a lot of people so make it simple, create just one group chat (choose one main platform, in our case I used FB Messenger) with your immediate fam and friends and just update that single thread. Be honest with what you need because believe me, your loved ones will do anything and everything for you without question. Also make sure to have the pedia of your kids on speed dial and other trusted doctors.
TIP: Prepare an excel file as early as now with all the important people you need to update re: your condition and then assign it to one trusted person outside your household who can act as your liaison. The list can include the following: your child’s teachers, your condo/village admin to help with coordination with deliveries, your boss and clients that needs immediate attention, your employees or teammates, and other people not part of your command center but you need to update anyway.
I was lucky that my symptoms were manageable so I was able to soldier on and manage logistics and communication with everyone. As a wife, a mother, and an employer (our household plus our business—we have four employees we got in close contact with, one tested positive, one had symptoms, the 2 tested negative), it was a challenge for me kasi lahat sila kelangan ko bantayan at asikasuhin while I was feeling unwell myself. Hindi siya madali pero nilaban, kinaya. Pero kung nagkataon na malala talaga yung case ko, ang hirap magupdate at magreply sa napakaraming messages. Having someone who can do it for you is very helpful so you can also focus on healing.
4. BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER
Our case was bearable because the kids were asymptomatic. As in no symptoms at all, which is the greatest blessing. For 14 days, I was just praying and praying and praying. My most favorite worship song is Lift Up Your Hands by Basil Valdez and Aiza Seguerra’s version of Lead me Lord. Look it up on Spotify. Prayer is really food for the soul. It nourished me when I was feeling weak, anxious, and helpless.
So prepare a worship or calming playlist as early as now because while meds are there for your body, you also need to nourish your mind and soul.
5. HELPFUL APPS
ZENNYA - for home service RT-PCR Swab Test, includes a free online consulation with a doctor when you test positive. The doctor will then write a prescription based on your symptoms which will lead you to this next app…
GRAB PABILI – very convenient. Once booked, I just send the prescription to the rider and then he buys to the nearest Watson’s. Our initial meds were purchased by my brother, dad, aunt, and cousins all sent via Grab and Lalamove but we also had to do additional consultations with pulmonologists so Grab Pabili was very convenient for those extra meds we needed asap.
Since we were in full isolation, our village has a system in place for COVID-positive households. The security guard receives the packages on our behalf, then the guard just leaves it by our front door. No close contact so everyone is safe.
NOTES - record all the meds you took, including the time. Para when you need to rush to the ER you just need to
