Tested positive to Covid 19? Go easy on yourself – try not to rush back to work or exercise

opinion

With Covid isolation rules all but gone, some people are feeling pressure to rush back to work, school, or other activities after testing positive for Covid.

If your symptoms are mild, you may want to continue working (remotely) despite being infected and quickly return to your regular exercise program to avoid losing fitness.

But while we may be used to bouncing back quickly after other viruses, Covid should be more careful. Aside from the risk of infection, excessive exercise can exacerbate and prolong symptoms.

Pushing too hard can cause it to back off

Clinical guidelines recommend getting plenty of rest when diagnosed with Covid. Putting too much effort into her initial recovery from Covid infection too soon can slow progress.

About 4 in 5 people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms and recover within a month, but it can take months or longer.

When symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath persist for more than three months, this is called long-term Covid. Up to 89% of long-term COVID-19 patients experience post-exercise fatigue, in which excessive physical or mental activity exacerbates symptoms such as fatigue and triggers new symptoms such as pain and anxiety doing.

So you tested positive for Covid. How can you tell if you are well enough to return to your normal routine?

Here are five tips.

1) over time

If you don’t feel well, use your right to paid time off. If you have paid time off, even a day or two is a good time to relax and unwind.

While you may be tempted to get back to work quickly after Covid, if you work in a high-risk environment such as health, disability or elderly care, don’t come to work for at least 7 days. Other workers are advised to isolate until symptoms resolve.

If you feel tired but want to get back to work, start with half a day or work for a few hours and then ramp up to your normal workload.

2) Pace, Plan, Priorities

Pacing, planning and prioritizing are key during Covid symptoms.

If you are struggling with fatigue while recovering from Covid, a referral to an occupational or physical therapist can give you further strategies for managing this condition.

3) Wait 7 days for symptoms to go away before exercising

You may feel ready to start exercising once your symptoms subside, but it’s important to wait until your COVID-19 symptoms are gone for at least 7 days to avoid over-exercising.

Start with light intensity exercises that make you feel like you can breathe easily, keep talking, and stay active for hours. At first she is 10-15 minutes.

Exercise again only when you feel recovered from the previous day’s exercise without new or worsening symptoms such as fatigue or pain.

4) Ask for help

Consider stopping by a friend or family member if you experience more severe symptoms from Covid. They may be entitled to paid caregiver leave or his two days of unpaid caregiver leave for casual his workers if they need to care for a COVID-19 patient.

If you’re having trouble managing your health or other financial pressures, contact your financial institution to discuss a payment plan.

If you work in a high-risk environment such as health, disability or elderly care, you may be entitled to additional government assistance to help you if you are unable to work due to Covid.

5) Know when to see your healthcare provider

If you are over 70 (or over 50 with additional risks, or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander over 30 with additional risks), talk to your doctor about antiviral medications as soon as you test positive for Covid. please. Antivirals reduce the chance of severe Covid requiring hospitalization and are ideally taken within five days of diagnosis.

If you’re managing Covid at home, use our symptom checker to see if you need medical advice for your condition.

If symptoms persist after initial Covid infection, see your doctor to monitor your condition and refer you to other health care professionals as needed to help manage your symptoms.

While there are no drugs to treat Covid symptoms such as fatigue, exercise-based health care professionals such as physical therapists can set up an exercise program and advance it accordingly to reduce fatigue and help with shortness of breath. I can.

Mahatma Gandhi was right when he said ‘Health is true wealth’ so be kind to yourself as you recover from COVID-19.