COVID-19 Symptoms, Prevention, and Tests

The numbers are increasing day by day, and the second wave is expected soon. With the increasing risk of infection, everyone needs to know the symptoms of COVID-19, prevention, and tests. Dr. Remedies Labs takes every precaution needed as per protocol while collecting samples from patients. Read on to understand COVID-19 better.

What Is COVID-19?

Coronavirus is a virus causing an infection in the nose, sinuses, or the upper throat or upper respiratory tract. Not all types of coronaviruses are as dangerous as SARS-CoV-2, which was identified in China's December 2019 outbreak.

COVID-19 is a disease involving this virus called SARS-CoV-2, leading to respiratory tract infection, both upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). This infection can be anywhere between mild infection to deadly.

Symptoms of COVID-19

There are numerous coronavirus symptoms. 2020 has turned out to be the year of COVID-19, and these symptoms of coronavirus have varied over time. Commonly observed symptoms include:

• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny nose or congestion
• Fever
• SOB or shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Body aches
• Headaches
• Diarrhea
• Chills or shivering
• Loss of taste and/or smell
• Nausea

This virus may lead to many other diseases, such as pneumonia, lung or respiratory failure, liver diseases, heart disease, septic shock, and even death. Many complications linked to COVID-19 are caused by a cytokine storm or cytokine release syndrome. When an infection triggers in the body, the immune system releases inflammatory proteins, called cytokines. These can damage the tissues and body organs.

Other symptoms you may observe include:

• A new type of confusion
• Shortness of breath
• Continuous chest pain or pressure in the chest
• Unable to wake up fully
• Bluish lips or bluish face
• Stroke
• Excessive blood clotting

There's something you should remember to recognize COVID-19 - FAST.

• F - Face: One side of the face is drooping or numb, and the smile is lopsided.
• A - Arms: One of the arms is weak or numb; it must be sagging.
• S - Speech: Can't speak clearly or repeat a sentence after you.
• T - Time: Signs of stroke if observed; time becomes of utmost importance. Call an ambulance immediately.

COVID-19 Prevention and Awareness

Prevention is of utmost importance. Here are a few things you can do to prevent COVID-19.

1. Wash your hands as often as possible with soap and water or a sanitizer.
2. Maintain social distancing no matter what. Stay home as much as possible. Otherwise, make sure to keep 6 feet distance from others.
3. Cover your nose and mouth with a mask. But, do not put them on children under two years, those suffering from breathing problems, unconscious people, and those who cannot remove the mask themselves.
4. Please do not touch your face at all before sanitizing them.
5. Clean and disinfect surfaces you frequently touch, such as doorknobs, tables, chairs, toilet seats, sinks, switchboard, etc. Use a cleaner approved for SARS-CoV-2. Use gloves while cleaning and dispose of them once your work is done.
6. If there are family members with higher risk, talk to their doctors about it. Check how you can keep them safe.

Tests for COVID-19

There are two types of tests available for diagnosing COVID-19 - viral test and antibody test. Dr. Remedies Labs has expert and trained phlebotomists. They follow proper safety protocols for COVID-19 virus Qualitative PCR.

Precautions Taken by Dr. Remedies Labs:

Before OCVID-19 sample collection, they wear PPE or personal protective equipment. These include gloves, N-95 mask, long sleeve disposable suit, shoe covers, and goggles. After collecting the samples, they safely remove the PPE kit or personal protection equipment kit and dispose of them. Thus, they wear a new PPE kit every time they collect samples from a new person.

The patient's nasal and throat swab samples are carefully packed in a triple-layered and concealed container to transport it to the lab securely.

Government Collaboration of Dr. Remedies labs for COVID-19 Tests

Dr. Remedies Labs has collaborated with the Government of Andhra Pradesh and cooperated to conduct COVID-19 screening tests in 3 different locations - Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Kurnool. We made sure of the end-to-end operations and maintenance of labs in these 3 locations. Over 450 samples were collected from patients per day across these locations in the first two months. From the third month onwards, we have covered 600 samples each day. You can also find other health camps we have conducted successfully.

Dr. Remedies Labs continues to serve the people by collecting samples and testing for this deadly virus. You can find the details here on how to book this test to diagnose COVID-19.