“The vast majority of people with COVID-19 get a lot better on their own at home.”
“At the beginning of the outbreak, symptoms for COVID-19 varied. It was possible to treat patients with a cough or fever and suspect other ailments. I think that’s how I contracted the virus, early on. I started with myalgias, muscle aches, so I stopped seeing patients and got tested. Days one through seven were mostly muscle aches, then days eight and nine were pretty bad. I had shortness of breath, cough, fever, no appetite and lethargy. I only took Tylenol and Advil, and I kept track of my level of oxygen saturation, which never went too low.
On day 10, I started to feel a little better and on days 11 and 12, I felt much better. Following the advice of the infection control specialists, I came back to work, more than 15 days after the onset of infection. I would say to people, first of all, don’t worry. If you have symptoms such as shortness of breath and high fevers, get checked out. In the hospital, we deal with the sickest. But the vast majority of people with COVID-19 get a lot better on their own at home, though it may take as long as two to three weeks.”