Covid-19 has affected people around the world since 2020.
The virus spreads through tiny droplets in the air, released when an infected person coughs, sneezes, breathes, or speaks.
According to WHO, most people infected with coronavirus and its variants will have mild to moderate symptoms. They can recover safely at home with the guidance of a medical professional. Patients who have moderate and severe infections are advised to get treatment and recover at a hospital under the direction of medical professionals.
Stages of Covid-19
1. Incubation
The Incubation stage is when symptoms start to appear after 2-4 days of getting infected.
The incubation stage is contagious. If you have contact with an infected person, doctors recommend self-quarantine immediately and separation from other house members. Your physician will also advise if you should get tested for Covid-19.
2. Acute
The acute stage is when all the symptoms have developed.
The most common symptoms of Covid-19 include fever, dry cough, and fatigue. Additional symptoms like headache, body pain, sore throat, and diarrhea may also appear.
During this stage, follow home isolation guidelines and contact your physician in case of any complications. An asymptomatic person will not show any symptoms related to infection but still needs to stay in isolation.
3. Recovery
Covid recovery starts when the worst symptoms begin to improve. It can last from 1-2 weeks up to several months. You are no longer contagious after ten days of getting infected.
The time required for complete recovery varies for different levels of infection. For mild cases of Covid-19, this can last between 1-2 weeks. More severe cases may take several months to recover completely.
Tips for faster recovery from Covid-19
Managing your lifestyle with healthy food, adequate rest, water, and light exercises can help you recover faster. These practices also support your body’s efforts to fight the virus.
Eat a complete diet
For fast and complete recovery, doctors recommend eating a diet rich in protein, energy, and essential vitamins and minerals to help rebuild strength and immunity. Follow the instructions below to help plan your diet.
- Combine different food groups in all your meals – Whole grains, legumes, nuts, and vegetables.
- Have servings of seasonal fruits throughout the day.
- Eat animal-based lean protein – Chicken, fish, eggs, etc.
- Eat soft or liquid foods for easy digestion.
- Avoid eating processed food.
- Reduce your intake of salt, sugar, oil, and spices to avoid inflammation and nausea.
Do gentle exercise
While recovering from Covid-19, the body expends energy on fighting the infection. This lowers your immunity and also leads to muscle loss. If this happens, it will take longer to get back to your daily routine.
To prevent this, do very gentle exercise every day during Covid-19 recovery. Low impact movements help you conserve your strength while your body recovers. They can also help you get better, faster. This includes the following:
- Light stretching
- Marching in one place
- Doing sits and stands in one spot for a minute
Get proper sleep and rest
Resting during sickness allows your immunity system to focus on fighting the infection. This helps the body heal more effectively. When you sleep, your body also saves on the energy that goes into daily functions and instead puts it into recovering.
While recovering from Covid-19, it is important to get proper sleep during the night. You should also get a few hours in bed throughout the day to fight off fatigue.
Stay hydrated
The body loses more water than normal during fever and sickness through vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, and coughing.
Hydration plays a key role in recovering from Covid-19.
Drink water or other clear fluids at regular intervals. Taking small sips of liquid every hour can prevent dehydration during your recovery.
If you experience vomiting or diarrhea, drink ORS solution to replace the fluid loss.
Monitor your symptoms
While you do your best to recover faster, it is essential to keep track of your symptoms. If you see anything unusual or do not seem to get better, your physician can advise you about what to do next. Monitor your condition while recovering from covid by tracking the following symptoms:
- Body temperature (Should be below 100° F)
- Level of fatigue
- Heart rate (From pulse oximeter)
- Blood oxygen concentration (SpO2 should be above 93% in room air)
- Breathing difficulty
- Persistence of cough
What happens after recovering from Covid?
Covid-19 creates a significant impact on your body’s strength and immunity.
While you are not contagious after recovery, you may experience prolonged symptoms for a few weeks. The most common post-covid symptoms include:
- Feeling exhausted or tired all the time
- Loss of smell or taste
- Shortness of breath
These symptoms will get resolved gradually over time. Make sure that you ease back into normal life and give yourself plenty of rest to get used to it.
Long Covid
Long Covid or Post-Covid Syndrome is when symptoms of illness don’t go away for more than three months after getting infected. These symptoms may have started to show during the acute stage or have developed in the recovery stage.
The conditions experienced during long covid are:
- Extreme fatigue or tiredness
- Dizziness when you stand
- Confusion, lack of mental focus and clarity (Brain fog)
- Loss of smell and taste
- Depression and anxiety
- Persistent cough
- Chest pain
- Pounding heart (Palpitations)
- Joint and muscle pain
- Recurrent fever
- Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath
If you are experiencing these symptoms after three months of Covid-19 recovery, contact your physician for the best course of treatment.