Recovering from COVID-19 at home requires preparation to ensure comfort and safety while managing symptoms. Having the right supplies allows you to focus solely on rest and recovery without the stress of last-minute shopping trips. Preparation involves stocking up on items for symptom relief, ensuring proper hydration and nutrition, acquiring tools to monitor your health status, and gathering necessary isolation materials.
Essential Over-the-Counter Symptom Relief
Managing common COVID-19 symptoms like fever and body aches is primarily accomplished with non-prescription medications. Have both acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) available for pain and fever reduction. Patients with pre-existing conditions, such as liver or kidney issues, should consult a doctor about which option is better. Ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), also helps reduce inflammation.
For respiratory symptoms, cough suppressants containing dextromethorphan can help manage a dry cough. Expectorants like guaifenesin (found in Mucinex) may help thin mucus, making it easier to clear from the airways. Sore throat pain can be soothed with medicated throat lozenges or cough drops. Antihistamines, commonly used for allergies, can also help lessen nasal symptoms like a runny nose and sneezing.
When using these over-the-counter products, carefully check all labels to avoid accidentally doubling up on active ingredients, especially if taking multi-symptom cold and flu formulas. Many combination products already contain acetaminophen or ibuprofen, which could lead to exceeding the maximum recommended daily dose. Check the expiration dates on any existing stock to ensure maximum potency and safety.
Hydration and Nutritional Support
Maintaining adequate hydration is a foundational element of home recovery, as fever and increased respiratory rate can lead to fluid loss. Aim to drink clear liquids like water or tea frequently throughout the day, ensuring your urine is light yellow, which indicates proper hydration. Consistent fluid intake is particularly important because dehydration can thicken respiratory secretions, making them harder to clear.
Electrolyte solutions are highly beneficial, especially if you experience vomiting, diarrhea, or heavy sweating from fever. Specialized oral rehydration solutions such as Pedialyte or sports drinks like Gatorade help replace lost salts and minerals, which aids the body in retaining water. Broths, both vegetable and chicken, are excellent choices because they contribute fluid and electrolytes while being gentle on the stomach.
When appetite is low or if you experience a temporary loss of taste or smell, have easy-to-digest, nutrient-dense foods on hand. Shelf-stable items like crackers, instant oatmeal, canned soups, and protein shakes require minimal preparation. These items provide the calories and protein needed to support the immune system. Aiming for smaller, more frequent meals, perhaps six small meals or snacks daily, helps ensure continuous energy for recovery.
Monitoring and Safety Tools
A reliable digital thermometer is necessary for tracking fever, a common symptom of the illness. Monitoring your temperature helps track the progression of the infection and determine the effectiveness of fever-reducing medications. For the most accurate reading, follow the device’s instructions and clean it thoroughly between uses, especially if it is shared.
A pulse oximeter is a small device that clips onto a finger to measure the percentage of oxygen saturation in the blood, an important indicator of respiratory function. For most healthy individuals, a reading of 95% or higher is considered normal. A reading that drops below 95% should prompt a call to a healthcare provider for guidance. If the oxygen saturation level falls below 90%, this is considered a medical emergency requiring immediate medical attention. Regular monitoring helps detect “silent hypoxia,” where oxygen levels drop dangerously low without the person feeling noticeably short of breath.
Isolation and Hygiene Supplies
To prevent the spread of the virus to other household members, dedicated isolation and hygiene supplies are necessary. High-quality respiratory masks, such as N95 or KN95 respirators, should be available for the sick person to wear if they must leave their isolation room. Caregivers should also wear these masks when entering the sick person’s space, as they offer a higher level of protection by filtering out airborne particles.
Stock up on tissues and place a dedicated, lined waste bin near the sick person’s bed for the immediate disposal of used tissues and other contaminated items. Household cleaning supplies, including disinfectant wipes or sprays, are needed to frequently clean high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, light switches, and bathroom fixtures. If a separate bathroom is unavailable, surfaces must be disinfected after each use. Hand hygiene remains paramount, requiring a supply of hand soap and a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.