The vast majority of people with COVID-19 recover in their own bed. However, the recovery process may not be the same as with other infections. How long does it take to recover from COVID-19 and what does recovery look like from coronavirus infection?

Convalescence after COVID-19not everyone works the same way. There are people who return to their daily duties very quickly and those who take much longer to recover from coronavirus infection.

Reasons vary - including the severity of COVID-19, and the patient's overall he alth, including comorbidities.

What does the recovery from COVID-19 look like, what should you pay special attention to, what may be worrying? Whyrecovery from coronavirusrarely resembles recovery from flu or other viral infections?

How long does COVID-19 last?

The duration of the coronavirus infection cannot be precisely determined. It all depends on the severity of the disease and overall he alth. Among people who suffer from COVID-19 at home, there are those who experience it very lightly, even asymptomatically, or the symptoms are so mild that they do not interfere with everyday activities, such as for whom COVID-19 is similar to the severity of flu or colds or those that are unable to get out of bed during an infection. And the stronger the symptoms, the longer the duration of the disease may be.

According to the current procedures, people referred to home isolation due to the coronavirus (who have no symptoms of the disease) stay there for 10 days from the date of the first positive SARS-CoV-2 test result. When symptoms of infection appear, this isolation will end 3 days after they have disappeared (but not earlier than 13 days after the symptoms appear).

Experts - including Dr. Michał Chudzik, a cardiologist from the Medical University of Lodz, who has been dealing with people who have recovered from COVID-19 for several months - believe that the symptoms of the disease may persist for up to 4 weeks and longer from the beginning of the infection.

When can you start to recover from COVID-19?

Convalescence after COVID-19may be started by convalescents. A "convalescence", with which we encounter extremely often in the context of COVID-19, is a person whose symptoms of an infectious disease have subsided. How do you know when you are he althy? Experts from the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) explain that in order for someone with COVID-19 to be considered he althy, they must meet three criteria:

  • at least 7 days have passed since the first symptoms of the disease appeared
  • no fever in the last 72 hours (no medication)
  • has no other symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.

It is worth remembering, however, that healed does not mean - cured. As the WHO expert Dr. Michael Ryan emphasized many times during press conferences, according to WHO (and CDC) standards, recovery, understood as getting rid of the virus from the body, can only be said if it is confirmed by two consecutive negative tests, which were carried out in at least 24 years. hourly interval.

What is the recovery from COVID-19 and how long does it take?

COVID-19 puts a strain on the body, so full recovery may take up to several months, and to a large extent depends both on the course of the infection itself and on general he alth.

Many people, even if they have negative tests for coronavirus, feel tired and cough long after the symptoms have subsided, after some time complications after COVID-19 may also appear, which include, for example, problems with the heart, lungs or neurological.

How to recover from COVID-19? So far, there are no specific guidelines - it is worth asking your doctor (the one who referred you for the test and monitored your condition during the disease) about how to recover from the coronavirus infection. After all, a lot depends on the severity of symptoms and general he alth.

As part of convalescence, you should take care of a he althy diet, rich in vegetables, fruit, easily digestible meat (e.g. poultry) and whole grain cereal products, and also drink plenty of fluids. Do not overexert yourself - even after the symptoms have subsided for a long time, you may still feel tired and tired, so avoid physical exertion and rest as often as possible.

A recommendation for many patients after COVID-19 in the US, especially those whose disease has been immobilized for a long time in bed, is also physiotherapy - local doctors recommend strengthening the muscles of the arms and legs, as well as breathing exercises to strengthen the chest muscles. However, such exercises should be performed after consulting a specialist.

Experts also encourage you to go for walks,as walking at a moderate pace can significantly improve overall condition. However, you should not overstrain your body - at the beginning, the walk should be short and not exceed five minutes (however, it can be repeated several times a day); this time can be increased gradually.

Pulmonary rehabilitation after COVID-19

Since the coronavirus can damage the lungs, COVID-19 survivors can also undergo pulmonary rehabilitation, and the rehabilitation program will be carried out in specialized centers.

In Poland, a pilot rehabilitation program after COVID-19 has been implemented in the Ministry of Interior and Administration hospital in Głuchołazy so far. It can be used by people who have had COVID-19 and received a referral from a he alth insurance doctor - it can be issued by any he alth insurance doctor, including a GP.

The duration of therapeutic rehabilitation is a maximum of 21 days. It is geared, among others, to for disease remission, improving overall exercise and circulatory capacity, improving respiratory fitness, muscle strength and general physical fitness, and supporting mental he alth. Barbara Pawlos, spokeswoman for the National He alth Fund in Opole, explained to the PAP agency: "Rehabilitation is based on the currently used models of respiratory physiotherapy. Patient qualification for individual models will be performed after exercise tests on a bicycle ergometer or treadmill, or during a 6-minute walk. also dyspnoea as assessed by the modified Borg scale ".

However, not everyone who suffered from COVID-19 can benefit from such rehabilitation - as we read on the website of the hospital in Głuchołazy, there are contraindications.

Contraindications for pulmonary rehabilitation:

  • lack of independence in performing basic everyday activities
  • mental disorders that prevent proper execution of commands
  • severe pulmonary hypertension
  • acute form of pulmonary heart
  • unstable ischemic heart disease
  • congestive heart failure
  • chronic diseases during exacerbation
  • neoplastic diseases in the metastatic stage
  • conditions with hemoptysis and recent hemorrhages
  • state after recent stroke
  • conditions after surgery (up to 3 months)
  • addiction to drugs and substances that may excessively disturb the rehabilitation process.

Category:

COVID 19