COVID-19: Tracy's Guide for Families

Q: What steps should I take to decrease my risk of infection if I’m in a high-risk category? 💁 Tracy: If you are age 65 or above or are in a high-risk category, stay home and pay attention to signs of illness. Refer to our article “What should I do if I’m at a greater risk for infection or if members of my household have this risk?” to learn about symptoms. Have all members of your household stay home as well. The following steps may be helpful for you to stay home and stay safe: Use delivery services for groceries, medications, and other items you may need. Pay with a credit card when you order, so you do not have to come in physical contact with the delivery person. Leave an envelope containing any gratuity outside for them. Keep some canned and frozen goods at home, and extra medications on hand in case delivery orders are delayed. This ensures you have enough supplies and dietary needs at home. Have a friend or family member shop for you and leave the items...

Q: What extra steps should I take if I live alone or I’m struggling to cope with isolation? 💁 Tracy: Try some of these suggestions and tips to see if they may be helpful if you have to stay alone: Have a regular schedule of contact with other people so that if someone doesn’t hear from you, they will know to check on you. You don’t have to speak to the same person each day, but schedule a routine time so that you are in contact with someone daily and make sure each person is aware of your schedule and knows who to call if you don’t respond. Find one person who can take care of you if you are sick. This person is ideally someone in your family and should have a key to your home and live close enough to let emergency personnel come in if needed.  Weather permitting, spend some time outside each day or open windows so you have fresh air and can enjoy nature every day. Sunlight is important for a good mood. Keep yourself occupied by pursuing a hobby, listening to f...

Q: What factors may increase the chance of COVID-19 infection, and what should I do if I’m at a higher risk or if members of my household have this risk? 💁 Tracy: If you are age 65 or over or are in a high-risk category, stay home and pay attention to signs of illness. Conditions that put you at a higher risk for a more severe COVID-19 case include elder age, heart and lung diseases, such as asthma, high blood pressure and heart failure. Other chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and immunity disorders will play a role too. Here are the symptoms to watch for: Fever Dry cough Shortness of breath Body aches Fatigue Some people have also reported changes in the sense of smell or taste, and other neurological symptoms Consult your doctor if you develop any of these symptoms and check the article of “What to do if I am sick?” for further information. If you have the following symptoms, call your doctor or emergency hotline immediately: Dif...

Q: Can I travel long distances during the pandemic? 💁 Tracy:  Try to avoid all unnecessary travel. If you have to travel abroad, you must understand the immigration and other health regulations of the destination country.  For domestic travel, please follow the CDC guidelines, and minimize all long-distance travel unless essential.  When you absolutely have to travel to areas with a large number of infected cases, you should keep track of real-time pandemic information and have appropriate protection. Try to avoid public transportation, such as buses, trains and planes. Driving yourself or taking a taxi is recommended. Q: What should I watch out for when travelling long distances? 💁 Tracy:  Do not travel if you have COVID-19 like symptoms. Please do self quarantine at home. Take public transportation only after you have no symptoms for 14 days or test negative consecutively. If you have to travel long distances by public transportation, please consider 3 pha...

Q：How do you use a mask correctly? 💁 Tracy:   Proper use of disposable medical masks/ medical surgical masks Wash and disinfect your hands before wearing a mask Nose clips face up, darker outside clips face outward (they fold down) Pull up and down the folds to cover the mouth, nose and jaw Put your fingertips along the metal strip of the bridge of the nose, from the middle to the sides Slowly press inwards until it is close to the bridge of the nose Properly adjust the mask to make the mask fit the face If worn correctly, the N95 or equivalent mask will collapse and bulge obviously without air leakage when inhaling and exhaling If the mask is obviously wet or dirty, or the breathing resistance has noticeably increased, please do not continue to use it. Schematic diagram of wearing process ([2]): Please pay attention to distinguish between the top, bottom, inside and outside when wearing. Please note: the metal flexible strip i...

Q: Can I still walk my dog?  💁 Tracy： Yes. You can walk the dog, but you need to keep a distance of 6 feet from other people. If you or someone in your family is showing signs of infection then you should use your yard or somewhere isolated from others for your dog. Q: Will I get infected from my pet? 💁 Tracy: Currently, according to a report by the CDC and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, although there have been very few cases that cats and dogs can be infected with COVID-19, there is little evidence that pets can transmit COVID-19 to humans, except the situation that if they interact with other infected people, their fur and skin may carry the virus. But this is still an active area of research. Q: Should I avoid touching pets or other animals if I am sick with COVID-19? 💁 Tracy: People sick with COVID-19 should limit contact with animals until more information is known about the spread. Also, if the animals you touch are contacted...