San Antonio doctors explain what symptoms of COVID-19 to look for before going to a hospital

SAINT ANTHONY – San Antonio doctors say they receive many calls from patients with mild symptoms after a positive COVID-19 test result. They say that, for the most part, those who were vaccinated will not have many problems if they do not have a high risk. This is what they recommend people do if they test positive.

Dr. Saleh Jafaar, with MedCare Associates, says the best thing you can do is call your doctor as soon as you get a positive COVID-19 result to make sure you know when you need emergency care at a hospital. For the most part, he says, those who were vaccinated will not experience many problems.

“If they are really mild symptoms, we do nothing. Ask them to take Tylenol, to stay hydrated, to rest as much as they can and to monitor it in a day or two, ”he says. But their concern changes if the patient has difficulty breathing.

Dr. Ruth Berggren, an infectious disease expert at UT Health San Antonio, says the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council has compiled a list of best practices for doctors in the region to follow when it comes to outpatient treatment. of the virus.

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The first recommendation is to insulate yourself from the outside and even inside the home. Use a separate bathroom and do not eat with other members of the household.

Berggren also recommends using a pulse oximeter to ensure that the patient’s oxygen saturation is kept above 94%.

Second, those who have a list of high-risk factors, such as those who are pregnant, have diabetes, or are over 65, should talk to their doctor for a prescription for monoclonal antibody treatment. .

“The people who benefit from this infusion are the people who receive it in the first five days,” Berggren said.

The infusion is free at Freeman College and has FDA emergency use authorization.

“This can significantly reduce the progression of COVID-19 and therefore significantly reduce the risk of having to go to the emergency room and get sick,” Berggren said.

He also warned health care providers about the overuse of steroids to treat patients too early in the diagnosis of COVID-19. She says the wrong timing in the use of these immunosuppressive drugs could impair the body’s response to fighting the virus on its own.

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“Instead of leaving the doctor’s office with a steroid, you should leave the visit with a referral for a monoclonal antibody infusion,” Berggren said.

Although much has been said about the use of supplements to fight the virus at the beginning of the pandemic, Berggren says there is still not enough evidence to prove it. But he claims that using zinc, vitamin D and melatonin pills before contracting the virus can help the body’s ability to be prepared to fight it.

Berggren also encourages those with mild symptoms of COVID-19 to consider participating in clinical trials to help figure out how to best treat the virus. One of these trials is to take a certain medication for depression.

“People who take fluvoxamine are less likely than people who have a placebo to go to the hospital with COVID-19,” he said. “It is not to advance COVID-19. It has not been used in the hospital and should be used as part of a clinical trial. “

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