"New crown positive" family tells: How do we survive after the elderly are infected

Recently, epidemic prevention and control policies have been relaxed across the country, and "I'm positive" (infected with the new coronavirus) seems to have become a dull topic.

However, many friends who have elderly people at home can’t help but worry: The elderly are old, what if they get infected?

NetEase Health spoke with family members of elderly patients who were infected with Omicron in the past two weeks. They recounted the disease experiences of elderly people of different age groups and health conditions.

It should be noted that the situations of these interviewed samples cannot represent everyone, but they can still be used as part of the real sample for your reference.

1. "If there are elderly people at home, you should prepare an oxygen concentrator and a blood oximeter in advance. Even if it can relieve psychological anxiety, it is good."

Patient: 92 years old, female, suffering from hypertension, mild insomnia, not vaccinated, Beijing

My grandma has not been out of the house for a long time. After the family members started to show symptoms, the old lady began to have a sore throat.

Before the infection, my grandmother suffered from high blood pressure and mild insomnia, and she had not received the COVID-19 vaccine. She was still in good health and could take care of herself. She had the habit of taking walks, self-massage, combing her hair, and tapping her meridians.

It has been five days since I started to have symptoms. On the third day, I took an antigen test and it was confirmed to be positive. I have not tested again since then. Grandma did not have a fever. The main symptoms were cough, sputum, sore throat, and loss of appetite. On the first day, I only had a slight sore throat and cough. On the second day, I started to have sputum, poor appetite, and vomited twice. I took vitamin B6 but it did not get better. I took omeprazole and the vomiting stopped. From the third to the fifth day, I still had a cough and sputum.

Because I didn't have a fever, I didn't take Tylenol. I only measured my blood oxygen with a finger-clip oximeter, 3-5 times a day. The second night, my blood oxygen was only 86, so I used a home oxygen concentrator for 4 hours. After measuring my blood oxygen on the third to fifth day, if it was lower than 90, I used oxygen for 2 hours. The frequency of oxygen inhalation was about once a day, 2 hours each time.

We didn't take grandma to the hospital. She's old, and now she doesn't allow a caregiver to accompany her. We were worried that if she went to the hospital, she wouldn't be able to bear it and would have wild thoughts, which would make her condition worse. So we observed her at home first, and didn't go if the symptoms were not serious.

The test result has not turned negative yet and it is not clear whether there will be any sequelae.

I have learned a little bit from taking care of my grandma these days. If you can't buy an oxygen concentrator temporarily, you can buy a portable oxygen cylinder for emergency. If there are elderly people at home, you should prepare an oxygen concentrator and a blood oximeter in advance. It is good to relieve psychological anxiety, otherwise you can only worry.

2. "Pay special attention to the control of underlying diseases. Do not take antipyretics randomly. You can take medicine according to the doctor's advice."

Patient: Male, 81 years old, with hypertension and heart disease, not vaccinated, Shanghai

After someone in the family was infected, my grandfather was kept alone in another room in the courtyard, but he still got infected even though we lived under the same roof.

Before being infected, my grandfather was not in very good health. He suffered from high blood pressure and heart disease, and he had not been vaccinated.

In terms of health monitoring, he tested positive for antigen once, and then took his temperature three times a day, morning, noon, and evening. Grandpa's symptoms were fever, sore throat, cough, and loss of appetite. He took conventional medicines such as antiviral granules and anti-inflammatory cough tablets, but did not use an oxygen concentrator. He was still very weak and even needed help to go to the toilet.

Since the test turned negative, there has been no sequelae. Pay special attention to the control of underlying diseases, especially for people like my grandfather. Antipyretics should not be taken randomly, but can be taken according to the doctor's advice.

3. "Keep a good attitude, drink more water, and get more rest"

Patient: 63 years old, female, no underlying disease, received 3 doses of vaccine, Baoding

Our whole family was infected, including my mother. Before she was infected, my mother was in good health, had no underlying diseases, and had received three injections of the Sinovac vaccine.

After the antigen test was confirmed positive, the body temperature was monitored three times a day. Her main symptoms were body aches and weakness. On the first day, her legs started to ache slightly, and on the second day, her whole body began to ache. The pain did not subside until the fifth day. She had a fever on the day of the positive test, with the highest temperature being 38.3°C, and then she had a low-grade fever occasionally.

In terms of treatment, my mother took Lianhua Qingwen, but the effect was not obvious, and no equipment such as oxygen concentrator and blood oximeter was used.

The test result has not turned negative yet, and I don’t know if there are any sequelae, and I haven’t gone to the hospital. I feel that my mother’s mentality is pretty good, and she always tells us to drink more water and rest more.

4. “I didn’t pay much attention to occasional high blood pressure before, but I’m paying special attention to my blood pressure during the infection.”

Patient: 60 years old, female, occasional hypertension, no long-term medication, received 3 vaccinations, Beijing

My mother was infected at home. Except for the child, the other three people in the family were infected. My mother was in good health before she was infected. She had occasional high blood pressure and did not take antihypertensive drugs for a long time. She received three injections of Beijing Biopharmaceutical vaccine.

After being infected, my mother measured her blood pressure and body temperature every day and took an antigen test every day.

Her symptoms were high fever, weakness, headache, blood pressure as high as 160, heart rate as high as 90, vomiting, and loss of appetite on the first day. On the second day, she had a low fever, blood pressure over 140, and heart rate as high as 90. On the third day, she had no fever, and her blood pressure and heart rate were normal, but she had a little back pain. During this period, she took antihypertensive drugs, ibuprofen when she had a high fever, and Lianhua Qingwen at intervals. Now it is the sixth day, and she is still resting at home. We didn't pay much attention to high blood pressure before, but we paid special attention to her blood pressure these days.

Some experts said that elderly patients may have more underlying diseases, and some may even have malignant tumors, which are high-risk factors. Therefore, home monitoring of elderly infected people should be more detailed .

In addition, for the elderly, it is more important to reduce the occurrence of severe illness after infection, and vaccination can reduce the possibility of severe illness. Therefore, if there are no contraindications, it is recommended that the elderly complete vaccination in a timely manner.

Another very important point is that neither family members nor patients themselves should panic. If the condition worsens during home treatment, they should go to the hospital in time.

In the face of this new challenge, it is equally important to master scientific knowledge, maintain a rational and optimistic attitude, and care for each other among family and friends. I hope that the elderly can survive this and live a long and healthy life!