How to Safely Care for COVID-19 Patients at Home
2020-08-11
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1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
2Even though COVID-19 has been around for months, there are still many unknowns.
3Researchers do not yet have answers to many of our questions.
4However, it is important to keep asking. And that is what people around the world are doing.
5Google has listed some of its most-searched questions about COVID-19.
6Dr. Leana Wen is a professor of public health at George Washington University.
7Back in March she answered some of the most-Googled questions about COVID-19 in a YouTube video.
8One of those questions was "Can COVID-19 be cured?"
9Dr. Wen explains that there is no cure or treatment for the virus.
10But, she adds, 80 percent of people who get COVID-19 do not need hospitalization.
11They can stay at home to recover.
12However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States warns to get emergency help immediately if the person shows any of these signs:
13The CDC notes that this list does not include all possible symptoms.
14Experts advise calling a medical professional if the person experiences other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
15If someone in your household gets infected with the virus, how can you stay safe?
16The following tips come from the CDC and the Mayo Clinic - a non-profit hospital and research center in the state of Minnesota.
17Keep your hands clean and away from your face.
18Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
19Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
20This is especially important after being in close contact with or in the same room as the sick person.
21If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
22Cover the whole surface of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
23Keep apart and separate.
24Stay at least 2 meters away from the infected person.
25If possible, have the sick person eat and sleep in a separate room and use a separate bathroom.
26Do not share items such as sheets, towels, electronics, and eating utensils - knives, forks and spoons.
27If you need to be in the same room with the person who is sick and he or she is not able to wear a face covering or mask, wear one yourself.
28Do not touch your mask while you are using it.
29If it gets wet or dirty, replace it with a clean, dry mask.
30Throw away the used covering and wash your hands.
31Make sure any shared areas have good air flow.
32Open a window to get air moving.
33Do not accept visitors in your home.
34Only permit visitors when the sick person has completely recovered and has no signs or symptoms of COVID-19.
35Be careful when washing clothes.
36Do not shake dirty clothes.
37When washing items touched by an infected person, use regular cleansers and set the washing machine to the warmest setting.
38Wash your hands after putting clothes in the dryer.
39Dry clothes completely on the hot setting.
40When touching clothing worn by a sick person, wear disposable gloves and keep the items away from your body.
41Wash your hands after removing the gloves and throw them away.
42Clean your home often.
43Every day, clean surfaces that are often touched, including counters, tabletops and doorknobs.
44Avoid cleaning the sick person's separate room and bathroom.
45Wear disposable gloves when handling dishes, cups or other items used by the sick person.
46Wash dishes with soap and hot water or in the dishwasher.
47Clean your hands after taking off the gloves or handling used items.
48Experts at the Mayo Clinic remind all caregivers to take care of themselves, too.
49They warn that caregivers might feel stressed.
50They might worry about their health in addition to the health of the sick person.
51This stress and worry can affect a person's ability to eat, sleep and work.
52It can also worsen any existing health problems.
53It may also increase the use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.
54The experts give these suggestions to caregivers.
55Keep a daily routine. Get showered and dressed every day.
56Eat healthy meals and drink a lot of water.
57Exercise.
58Get plenty of sleep.
59Avoid drugs and alcohol.
60Do stretching, deep breathing, or meditation.
61Do fun activities, such as reading or watching a movie.
62Connect with others and share your feelings.
63Monitor your own health and look for symptoms.
64And that's the Health & Lifestyle report.
65I'm Anna Matteo ...
66And I'm Bryan Lynn.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. 2Even though COVID-19 has been around for months, there are still many unknowns. Researchers do not yet have answers to many of our questions. 3However, it is important to keep asking. And that is what people around the world are doing. Google has listed some of its most-searched questions about COVID-19. 4Dr. Leana Wen is a professor of public health at George Washington University. Back in March she answered some of the most-Googled questions about COVID-19 in a YouTube video. One of those questions was "Can COVID-19 be cured?" 5Dr. Wen explains that there is no cure or treatment for the virus. But, she adds, 80 percent of people who get COVID-19 do not need hospitalization. They can stay at home to recover. 6When to seek emergency medical attention 7However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States warns to get emergency help immediately if the person shows any of these signs: 8The CDC notes that this list does not include all possible symptoms. Experts advise calling a medical professional if the person experiences other symptoms that are severe or concerning. 9How to safely care for someone with Covid-19 10If someone in your household gets infected with the virus, how can you stay safe? The following tips come from the CDC and the Mayo Clinic - a non-profit hospital and research center in the state of Minnesota. 11Clean your hands often 12Keep your hands clean and away from your face. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. 13Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. This is especially important after being in close contact with or in the same room as the sick person. 14If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. Cover the whole surface of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry. 15Keep apart and separate. 16Stay at least 2 meters away from the infected person. If possible, have the sick person eat and sleep in a separate room and use a separate bathroom. 17Do not share items such as sheets, towels, electronics, and eating utensils - knives, forks and spoons. If you need to be in the same room with the person who is sick and he or she is not able to wear a face covering or mask, wear one yourself. 18Do not touch your mask while you are using it. If it gets wet or dirty, replace it with a clean, dry mask. Throw away the used covering and wash your hands. 19Make sure any shared areas have good air flow. Open a window to get air moving. 20Do not accept visitors in your home. Only permit visitors when the sick person has completely recovered and has no signs or symptoms of COVID-19. 21Be careful when washing clothes. 22Do not shake dirty clothes. 23When washing items touched by an infected person, use regular cleansers and set the washing machine to the warmest setting. 24Wash your hands after putting clothes in the dryer. Dry clothes completely on the hot setting. When touching clothing worn by a sick person, wear disposable gloves and keep the items away from your body. Wash your hands after removing the gloves and throw them away. 25Clean your home often. 26Every day, clean surfaces that are often touched, including counters, tabletops and doorknobs. Avoid cleaning the sick person's separate room and bathroom. 27Be careful with dishes 28Wear disposable gloves when handling dishes, cups or other items used by the sick person. Wash dishes with soap and hot water or in the dishwasher. Clean your hands after taking off the gloves or handling used items. 29Caregiver burnout 30Experts at the Mayo Clinic remind all caregivers to take care of themselves, too. They warn that caregivers might feel stressed. They might worry about their health in addition to the health of the sick person. This stress and worry can affect a person's ability to eat, sleep and work. It can also worsen any existing health problems. It may also increase the use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. 31The experts give these suggestions to caregivers. 32Keep a daily routine. Get showered and dressed every day. 33Eat healthy meals and drink a lot of water. 34Exercise. 35Get plenty of sleep. 36Avoid drugs and alcohol. 37Do stretching, deep breathing, or meditation. 38Do fun activities, such as reading or watching a movie. 39Connect with others and share your feelings. 40Monitor your own health and look for symptoms. 41And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. 42I'm Anna Matteo ... 43And I'm Bryan Lynn. 44Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 45________________________________________________________________ 46Words in This Story 47confusion - n. a situation in which people are uncertain about what to do or are unable to understand something clearly 48hand sanitizer - n. substance applied to the hands for the purpose of removing common disease-causing organisms 49mask - n. a covering used to protect your face or cover your mouth 50disposable - adj. designed to be used once or only a limited number of times and then thrown away 51stressed - adj. feeling very worried or anxious 52routine - n. a regular way of doing things in a particular order 53meditation - n. the act or process of spending time in quiet thought : the act or process of meditating 54monitor - v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check (something) for a special purpose over a period of time