COVID-19 Symptoms

Lisa’s Health Tip comes to us today from Dr. Mason Cobb. He participated in the SSIS Webinar on Feb 11 and regularly speaks to the American Chamber of Commerce about COVID-19. He gives his thoughts on how to know if you are “having difficulty breathing”, which is one of the key symptoms for COVID-19.

COVID-19 symptoms are like those of seasonal flu, a real confounder. Fever is the most common symptom. Muscle aches, fatigue, dry cough, and sore throat are also quite common.  However, a runny nose is unusual in COVID; some shortness of breath is common and the distinguishing feature of COVID-19.

Significant shortness of breath may develop and may require hospitalization. However, 80% of cases are mild and another 14% may only need oxygen and hospital support but should have an uneventful recovery. Only about 6% will be critical and half of those will need mechanical ventilation, with a high mortality rate.

Since shortness of breath is the symptom which might require hospitalization, there are some tests that you can do at home. If your respiratory rate is greater than 30 breaths per minute, if your pulse oximeter (a feature on many wearable fitness trackers) is less than 93%, and you cannot hold your breath for at least 10 seconds, then you should urgently seek care. Call your doctor or clinic. Or go to the International Hospital for Tropical Diseases which is designated by MoH. Your care there should be world-class, although the room may not be as comfortable as you might like.

If you believe you may have COVID19, The Prime Minister and the MoH have sent recommendations. First, if not in need of urgent medical care, stay at home. If you must go out, wear a mask: keep it on but do not touch it. Practice frequent hand hygiene. There are 2 hotlines, but only accessible in Vietnamese: 19003228 and 19009095.