Preparing your home for a COVID-19 diagnosis

Her strategy has worked so far. But what else can we do to prevent the spread and prepare our homes in case we have to isolate?

Steps to take to avoid spreading COVID-19 within your household

A person can be infectious two days before they have symptoms but if you start to show symptoms you should isolate and use a separate bedroom and bathroom, if possible, says Sarah Palmer, the co-director of the Centre for Virus Research at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research.

“Second, always put on a mask and ask the infected person to wear a mask [N95/P2 masks if you can get them] when others enter their room,” she adds. “Third, handle all dishes or waste from the infected person with gloves. Do not share dishware, towels, bedding, or electronics with the infected person. In addition, to prevent yourself from getting infected it is important to frequently wash your hands in soapy water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser.”

Ensure good ventilation by opening doors and windows and, Gordon suggests, using HVAC air purifiers where possible.“Spread is mainly respiratory, so surface disinfection is less important,” says Dr Abrar Ahmad Chughtai, a senior lecturer and epidemiologist at UNSW.

What should be in your COVID-19 home-isolation kit?

“Most people who catch Omicron might be sick and isolating for 7-10 days, so you don’t need to stockpile huge amounts of goods,” Gordon assures. “Making sure you have basic medications such as paracetamol, and some non-perishable foods such as canned soups and frozen meals can be a help as well as drinking plenty of water. Contact-free supermarket deliveries, and deliveries of takeaway food will also be available for people who catch COVID.”

Palmer adds that a COVID-19 toolkit should also include gloves, masks, disinfectant and rapid antigen tests, if you can find them.

“A negative rapid antigen test only means you are not infectious at the moment of the test,” Palmer explains. “With the fast replication rate of the Omicron variant, you could become infectious 4-6 hours after the test. Therefore, serial rapid antigen tests are needed to improve the accuracy of this test and to ensure whether you are infectious or not.”

She adds that “common-sense methods are best for mitigating symptoms from COVID-19”. These include getting plenty of rest, taking over the counter medications for fever, and staying well hydrated.

“There is not much strong evidence on taking supplements to aid recovery from COVID-19,” Gordon adds. “However, certain approved vitamins and supplements when taken correctly can support health and wellbeing, so much of the advice out there is that it probably can do no harm to take them.”

Stocking up on “smart fluids” including ingredients to make fruit smoothies, vegetable juices, soups and electrolyte drinks can help keep us hydrate when we’re unwell, says accredited practising dietician Susie Burrell. She adds that vitamin C via citrus fruits, kiwifruit, berries, tomatoes, red capsicum and leafy greens, as well as and zinc via lean red meat, oysters, shellfish, legumes, nuts and seeds (pumpkin seeds especially), can help to support immune function.

As for some of the more controversial approaches, Chughtai adds that “there is no evidence around using Ivermectin and other drugs”.

“Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorisation (EUA) for Pfizer’s Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets, co-packaged for oral use) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults. However, it is not widely available yet.”

Fortunately, the simple strategies mentioned can help to protect us and the ones we love, both inside and outside the home, says Gordon.

“I think two of the biggest myths out there are firstly that it is inevitable you will catch COVID-19, and secondly that there is not much that can be done about that.”

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