How to Care for Someone with COVID-19

An unfortunate reality of the current moment is that many people will either contract COVID-19 themselves or be close to someone who has. If you find yourself in this position, it is key to understand the best ways to both care for and support the individual who is suffering and recovering from the virus.

Because COVID-19 is a highly contagious infection, it is doubly important to have a firm grasp on the signs of the virus, how it spreads, and how to safely care for someone who is infected. Thankfully, the research has come a long way in the past few months and clearer guidelines are now available to help you preserve your own health as you aid in the recovery of someone else.

Caring for a COVID-19 Patient

The first and most important step to properly caring for a COVID-19 patient is to follow the advice of their doctor. In most cases, these guidelines will be exceptionally simple—almost like caring for someone with the seasonal flu but with a few key changes, such as isolating from others.

Helping your patient with necessary daily activities like caring for pets, preparing food, cleaning, and so forth should be one of your primary goals. COVID-19 patients are likely to be very fatigued, making normal activities difficult and not recommended.

This fatigue is why you should encourage your patient to rest as much as possible. They should also hydrate thoroughly and attempt to eat, even if they can only palette high-calorie soft foods like smoothies and protein shakes.

As you support their physical recovery and monitor their symptoms to ensure they are not getting worse—fever and extreme shortness of breath are key, here—you should also encourage them emotionally. Isolation and recovery can be both lonely and stressful, so your patient will appreciate and benefit from emotional support.

Protecting Yourself During Care

Because COVID-19 is highly contagious, it is vital that you protect yourself and others when caring for a COVID-19 patient. There are many strategies that can be used to maximize the safety of your health and those around you, most of which are quite simple.

For example, you should follow the now-established guidelines that exist in most public spaces. You and the patient should wear a mask, you should attempt to maintain six feet of distance from the patient, and isolate the patient to their own space—including bedroom and bathroom—if possible.

You should frequently clean shared spaces as well as high-touch areas, such as bathroom fixtures, light switches, and so on. Avoid having visitors and self-isolate if possible. If you cannot, be sure to limit any physical contact with others and sharing transportation.

Finally, monitor your own health. There is always the possibility that you will contract the virus, so be aware of the symptoms and ready to quarantine or seek medical help if necessary.

Final Notes

If a medical emergency occurs, such as severe difficulty breathing, blueness in the face, or confusion, call 911 immediately. You should be open and communicative with your doctor about your concerns and the state of you and your patient throughout the recovery process!