8th March 2022 – (Hong Kong) Dr.Cathy Lo, a family doctor who was infected with COVID-19 despite receiving 3 vaccination shots shared her self-remedy experience on her Facebook page “Dr C&C” and on her personal Instagram account. She summarised them into 5 key points.
1. A negative rapid antigen test (RAT) does not mean you are not infected.
Her rapid tests were negative for 3 consecutive days after developing severe throat pain, but her deep throat saliva samples showed high viral load. She also had a friend who had a high fever for 3 days before testing positive. The reason is that the rapid test results will be close to 100% accurate only on the 4th to 7th day of the onset of the illness. If you have cold symptoms, it is best to isolate yourself and continue to do a rapid antigen test every day. A negative result does not mean that you are not infected. If a person is doubtful, he/she can do a deep throat saliva test to verify.
2. Symptoms
Dr.Lo pointed out that she had received all three vaccination shots but she was still infected. She had no fever but she had sore throat. The pain was the worst during the first four days, and she would wake up in the middle of the night due to the excruciating pain. During the last three days, it became painful even to swallow saliva. At the same time, she said that on the 2nd and 3rd days, she would suffer from bone pain all over her body and general weakness. On the 4th and 5th days, she started to have nasal discharge and cough, but the symptoms could be controlled by taking medicine. Her family members were not as sick and she said she is a smoker.
Conclusion: The symptoms are like a severe cold. Taking medicine will relieve the symptoms and she still advised everyone to receive the third vaccination shot.
3. Medicine
Dr.Lo said that she was only taking the cold medicines that are usually prescribed to patients and she also made a recommended list. She reiterated that the recommendation is only applicable to healthy adults without chronic diseases. If you have chronic diseases or drug-sensitive medical records, you should consult your family doctor first.
You can choose paracetamol 500mg (every four hours) for pain and fever – If the fever does not go away, you can take anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic drugs i.e. ibuprofen 200mg every six hours; naproxen 250mg every eight hours. Generally, the stomach will be full, and it is safest to take stomach medicine Pepcidine 20mg once in the morning and evening (since the anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and antipyretic drugs may hurt the stomach, those who have gastric ulcer/stomach issues should try to avoid it).
Throat lozenges are critical. She personally suggested DIFFLAM the most, because it contains a little local anaesthesia, and her throat felt better after taking.
Nose Relief: Loratadine 10mg once a day (non-drowsy); piriton 4mg three times a day (drowsy)
Cough syrup: Take Benadryl 10ml three times a day (drowsy), Phensedyl 10ml three times a day (drowsy) and Actifed-co 10ml three times a day (non-drowsy), or other similar over-the-counter cough syrup.
4. When to go to the A&E department
If you develop shortness of breath and asthma and become increasingly unresponsive or even unconscious, you should go to the A&E department of a hospital immediately for further diagnosis. If the symptoms are mild, she advises everyone to treat themselves at home and leave the hospital beds for those in need.” She also reminded those who have not had been vaccinations to get injections as soon as possible, especially the elderly. People over 60 years old who have chronic diseases are in high-risk group and their symptoms will be severe if they are infected.
5. How to stay mentally calm during infection?
Infected patients should meditate for 10-20 minutes daily. Research has shown that meditation is effective in reducing anxiety and fighting depression. Take five deep breaths for one minute, inhale five times, exhale five times, put your hands above your belly button, and feel your belly rise and fall in tandem your breathing. Aerobic exercise can effectively reduce anxiety and fight depression. You can also watch home exercise videos on YouTube while doing it. Write a diary: Write down your grateful thoughts every day, she said that most people will start to appreciate health. She ended her article by saying that everyone around the world has experienced the pandemic of the century just like me, and many people will have many different feelings, different levels of anxiety, but you are definitely not alone. Our team of medical staff will tide you over this difficult time together!” She urged Hongkongers to stay strong.
COVID-19 Infection may cause impotence among male patients
On the other hand, the research team of the University of Hong Kong found in their study that the sperm count and testosterone in the serum of hamsters infected with COVID-19 dropped sharply within 4 to 7 days. Testosterone is an important part of affecting libido and sperm quality. Between 42 and 120 days after infection, the testicles of the hamsters shrunk, their size and weight decreased, and the levels of sex hormones in the body dropped significantly. The testicles of hamsters also showed acute inflammation, haemorrhage, necrosis of seminiferous tubules, and cessation of sperm production.