Original title: Can you let yourself fly after turning negative? Urgent reminder from experts →
After being infected with the new coronavirus, how can I recover? Can you really let yourself go after you recover?
Beijing News Broadcasting reporter interviewed Li Tong Zeng, Chief Physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Beijing You’an Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University——
Q: After being infected with the new coronavirus, how can I recover?
Answer: Rehabilitation actually depends on two indicators. One is whether the symptoms you feel have disappeared. For example, in our mild case, it depends on the body temperature and respiratory symptoms. If the body temperature is normal for more than three days and the respiratory symptoms have improved significantly, we say that the body has recovered; the other is like normal. For severe or more serious cases, if pneumonia is seen on CT, CT should be re-examined. If the pneumonia is obviously absorbed, it is considered to be in the recovery stage.
If we want to lift the quarantine to go to work and go to school, we still need to look at the test data. Our current ninth edition of the diagnosis and treatment plan is based on two nucleic acid negatives at intervals of 24 hours, or a CT value greater than 35%, which is considered non-infectious and can be Released from quarantine. If it is not convenient for us to do nucleic acid now, I suggest that we can do three antigen tests for three consecutive days, and the symptoms will disappear. If the antigen is negative for three consecutive days, it can also be considered as non-infectious and the body has recovered.
I also want to remind everyone that the body may be more tired in the first week or two of recovery, so do not engage in strenuous exercise, and work according to your ability, step by step, and do not rush.
Q: After being infected with the new crown virus and recovering, how should we do the disinfection work at home?
Answer: First of all, don’t disinfect too much. The virus can only replicate in the human body. At room temperature, the virus will lose its activity after two to three hours away from the human body. It is not contagious. In a corner with poor ventilation, For example, the survival time of viruses in damp bathrooms will be longer, so we must pay attention to disinfecting them. The best way is to open windows for ventilation, which is the most economical. We open the windows two or three times a day, each time for 15 minutes to half an hour, and the effect is very good. For a relatively humid and closed environment, we can use chlorine-containing disinfectant and 75% alcohol to wipe. Try to wipe instead of spraying. The effect of spraying is not as good as wiping. For example, mobile phones, computers, door handles, various switches, toilets, etc. that are often touched can be wiped with alcohol. Tableware, cups and other items may contain respiratory secretions of infected people. They can be steamed at high temperature, and clothes should be dried after normal washing Do it, and there will be no virus.
What I want to remind everyone is that chlorine-containing disinfectant should be wiped off with water half an hour after wiping, otherwise it will irritate the skin. People with children or chronic respiratory diseases at home should try to avoid spraying disinfectants. Alcohol should not be sprayed. If it is in a closed place with poor ventilation, if the concentration is high, it will burn or even explode when encountering sparks. I also remind everyone not to hoard a large amount of alcohol at home, and do not use alcohol to wipe the floor. is risky.
Q: Will I be re-infected after recovering from COVID-19 infection? Do you still need to wear a mask?
Answer: In the past three years, we have indeed found that some people have recovered positive nucleic acid after the quarantine was lifted, or recovered positive after the antigen turned negative. It is generally believed that this is some fragments that remain in the body. As far as the disease is concerned, from three years of observation, after the isolation was lifted, no Fuyang people were found to infect people around them, and no recurrence of symptoms was found.
Regarding the issue of secondary infection, we have repeatedly said that the Omicron strain has a strong immune escape ability. Even if it has been vaccinated or infected with the new coronavirus to produce antibodies, when the virus mutates, it can still escape our antibodies. Defense function, infection occurs twice or even three times. In countries such as Europe and the United States that have been released in advance, we have seen many people who have been infected with the original strain, alpha strain, and delta strain in the past two years. When facing Omicron, he is indeed prone to recurrence secondary infection. In 2022, Omicron has repeatedly mutated, and hundreds of A clades have appeared, but after all, they are still close relatives. If the infection is Omicron, our antibody level will be relatively high in the short term. Less obvious mutant strains still have a protective effect, and it is generally believed that secondary infection is unlikely within 3 to 6 months.
Therefore, if a family member is infected with the same virus strain, the person who turns negative first goes to take care of the family member who is still sick, and will not be infected again.
Of course, there is another factor that depends on the mutation of the virus. If the virus mutates and is much different from the original, then everyone’s antibody protection ability may decrease, and the risk of secondary infection will increase.
So from this point of view, in the future, we still need to continue to maintain some good hygiene habits that we have developed in the past three years, wear masks, wash hands frequently, open windows for ventilation, and pay attention to social distance. Wearing a mask is not only the most effective method against the new crown virus, but also other winter and spring respiratory infections, and we need to stick to it.
The good news here is that, from the experience of foreign countries, people who are re-infected usually have milder symptoms and recover faster. If we have been vaccinated before and are infected this time, the risk of secondary infection will be low. If we are infected this time and we get another shot of vaccine in half a year, the risk of secondary infection will be low. If we are infected this time, we will receive another shot of vaccine in half a year, so the risk of secondary infection will be even lower.
Q: Is it considered recovered if the antigen test is negative? When can I return to work? Can I resume sports as soon as possible after recovery?
After being infected with the new coronary pneumonia, how to judge whether he has recovered, Li Tong once gave two criteria: whether his own symptoms are relieved, and whether the test result turns negative. If the body temperature of the light patient is normal for more than three days, and the respiratory symptoms improve, it means that the body has recovered; if the patient is of the common type or the condition is more serious, a chest CT scan is required. In terms of testing, if nucleic acid testing is possible and the two nucleic acid results are negative with an interval of 24 hours, it can be considered non-infectious; If it is negative, it can also be considered not contagious.
It should be noted that the recovering person may still be prone to fatigue for a week or two after recovery. At this time, in terms of daily work and some physical activities, you should pay attention to step by step and do what you can, and don’t overwork, otherwise your body will recover more slowly.