A COVID-19 diagnosis requires isolation and rest, making household chores a practical concern, especially in shared living situations. Successfully managing domestic tasks while infected requires balancing personal health needs with strict protocols to prevent viral spread. This guidance focuses on safety considerations for performing physical tasks while ill and protecting household members.
Assessing Personal Capacity and Need for Rest
Rest is fundamental to recovery from a viral infection like COVID-19, as the body requires energy to mount an effective immune response. Patients should prioritize their physical well-being above any household duties, making the level of illness the primary determinant of activity. If a person has a high fever, is experiencing difficulty breathing, or feels profoundly weak, all household work should cease immediately and completely.
Even for those with milder symptoms, physical exertion must be approached with extreme caution to avoid post-exertional malaise (PEM). PEM is a disproportionate worsening of symptoms, often delayed by 24 to 72 hours, triggered by minimal physical or cognitive effort. Pushing past energy limits can lead to a significant crash, prolonging recovery and potentially worsening symptoms for days or weeks.
Signs of overexertion include a noticeable increase in fatigue, shortness of breath beyond the baseline, or an elevated heart rate that persists after the activity stops. To prevent PEM, patients should employ pacing strategies, alternating short periods of activity with complete rest, and only engaging in low-energy tasks. Monitoring the body’s response to any brief activity is necessary; if symptoms worsen, the activity level must be immediately reduced to zero.
Essential Transmission Prevention Measures
Any time a patient must leave their isolation area or interact with shared household items, measures must be implemented to minimize the release of viral particles. The primary defense is wearing a high-quality, well-fitting mask, such as an N95 or KN95, which is rated to filter at least 95% of airborne particles. This device acts as source control, capturing the respiratory droplets and aerosols produced by the patient before they disperse into the air.
Improving indoor air quality is a necessary layer of protection against airborne transmission. When possible, opening windows briefly can increase natural ventilation by introducing fresh outdoor air. Portable air cleaners equipped with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter are highly recommended, as they are capable of capturing 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns. These units should be appropriately sized for the room and placed to ensure the air is being cleaned effectively, supplementing ventilation.
Cleaning high-touch surfaces in shared areas, like doorknobs, light switches, bathroom fixtures, and remote controls, is another necessary precaution. Surfaces should be cleaned first with soap and water to remove soil before applying a disinfectant. Use an EPA-registered disinfectant that is specifically approved for use against SARS-CoV-2. The patient should also wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after performing any task.
Safe Handling of Patient-Specific Items
Items confined to the patient’s isolation space carry a higher concentration of viral particles and require specific handling protocols. When collecting soiled laundry, the patient or caregiver should wear disposable gloves and a face mask. Avoid shaking the dirty laundry, as this action can aerosolize and spread virus particles.
Patient laundry can be washed with other household members’ items, as the washing process is effective at removing pathogens. Items should be laundered using the warmest appropriate water setting recommended on the garment’s label and dried completely. After handling dirty items, disposable gloves should be immediately removed, and hands must be washed thoroughly.
Dishes, glasses, and eating utensils used by the infected person do not require special handling outside of routine procedures. A dedicated set of dishes for the patient is advisable, but they can be cleaned in a dishwasher or by hand with soap and hot water, which is sufficient for sanitization. Trash generated in the patient’s isolation room should be placed in a dedicated, secured receptacle, and the bag tightly tied before disposal in the regular municipal waste stream.