FAQ: What is double masking? Should mask be worn at home?

AIIMS Covid Centre Head Dr Anjan Trikha clarifies doubts regarding Covid-19 precautions, symptoms, hospitalization and other related issues.

India has been witnessed a sharp spike in new Covid-19 cases and fatalities linked to the pandemic in the last few days. The new wave of Coronavirus cases has put an immense strain on the medical infrastructure. Yet the fightback continues. 
 

To quote renowned scientist and White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci, for now, vaccination is the best antidote available for India.
 

Amid the second wave of the pandemic, AIIMS Covid Centre Head Dr Anjan Trikha clarifies doubts regarding Covid-19 precautions, symptoms, hospitalization, and other related issues.

What should I do to not get infected from COVID-19?
 

Staying indoors is essential if you want to protect yourself from getting infected. Unless necessary, try to avoid getting in public. Also, when you do go out, wear a mask and maintain an appropriate distance from others. Wash your hands and face thoroughly with water after you return home. To break a chain of transmission, wear a mask at home and isolate yourself because there might maybe some asymptomatic carrier at your home.
 

What should I do if I am infected and asymptomatic?
 

If you are infected and asymptomatic, you must immediately isolate yourself to ensure that you do not spread the infection to others. Do not sit with your friends or co-workers to eat food or anything else. Completely isolate yourself and stop going to your office and work from home.

What should I do if I am infected and symptomatic for the last 3-5 days? If I only have a fever or when I have a fever, cough, and cold, etc.?
 

If you are infected and have any symptoms like fever or a cough, in that case, regular medication is necessary. Try cough medicine so that your cough is suppressed and does not cause you much of a problem. At the same time, avoid interacting with people and immediately isolate yourself to ensure that you do not spread the infection to others.
 

Home Isolation or hospitalization? When and how?
 

Home isolation is primary. But I can understand that home isolation is difficult when you live with other people or in smaller spaces. In that case, the patient can be moved to covid care centres made by the government, especially for isolation purposes. Go for hospital admission if you face shortness of breath or drop in oxygen saturation in the blood.

How to improve my oxygen saturation? What is pronal breathing?
 

To improve oxygen saturation level in your body, practice regular respiratory exercise. Also, it is not pronal respiration; it is lying in a prone position and trying to take deep breaths. When you lie on your stomach and breath (prone position), it helps the body to pass air into all areas of the lungs rather than lying flat on the back. This is called prone position breathing or prone ventilation, or conscious prone ventilation.
 

Testing is taking time. What should I do about this in case I feel I am infected?
 

We all know that people have to wait 2-3 days to get their RT-PCR test reports. But if you think you are positive given your test, the best way is to isolate yourself and consider that you can pass on the virus to other people unless proven otherwise.
 

Is there any prophylactic medication to avoid contracting the virus?
 

In the last 14 months, the evidence for any other medication that you can take to avoid contracting coronavirus has been non-existent. Initially, there was a significant usage of hydroxychloroquine. However, in the last 15 months, its use as prophylactic medicine is zero.

Is it required for people at home to wear a mask?
 

Yes, the government, in its latest guidelines, has advised the public to wear a mask at home because there are a lot of asymptomatic, infected carriers in society. So it is advisable to wear a mask even at home to avoid contracting the virus. It is equally important that when you have household helps to come into your house, they should also be wearing a mask.
 

What is double masking? How to do it, and is it mandatory now?
 

Double masking is when you wear one mask on top of another so that every part of your nose and the face and the cheek is covered. Double masking prevents any infected air from getting into your nose and mouth. If you wear a double mask, the chances of getting infected are meagre.
 

(This story first appeared on Prasar Bharati)
 

NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitize, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona