A lot has happened in the past few months regarding COVID-19, since the first case of COVID-19 emerged in China and shook the entire world. From a state of panic and fear countries got into a lockdown. The situation has bought the daily life of many to a standstill around the world. The newly discovered virus has brought a lot of chaos. Taking precautions and trying to make sure the infection stays away is the ideal thing to do at this time. But there are certain conditions that are putting few groups of people at more risk of COVID-19 and the related complications in case they get infected. Not just taking preventive steps but also being aware and updated about the infection is the key to keeping everybody and yourself safe. Let’s understand who are these high-risk group and what can be done in case you fall under such category.
What do you mean by high-risk groups?
The high-risk group of people are those who are more susceptible to catch infection and can develop moderate to severe complications to the disease as compared to other individuals who don’t fall in such categories.
Am I in the HIGH-RISK Group?
While the knowledge about COVID-19 is being updated constantly, the world is still learning how to deal with it. While the virus is more of contagious in nature, the fatalities are comparatively low. Still there are many pain areas when it comes to limiting the spread. The best way is to follow safety precautions that are repeatedly being shared by the authorities.
Next step is to understand if you fall in the category of the high-risk group. Know here-
Elderly Population
The group who are more prone to get affected are the elder group of people. They come among the most vulnerable population. The fatalities that have been recorded are mostly among this group
Individuals with an underlying medical condition
Patients with any underlying heart complaint and hypertensive individuals are at risk of severe COVID-19 infections. The inflammatory nature of the virus causes reactions in the body that can lead to heart failure. A recent bulletin from American College of cardiology stated that the rate of fatalities due to COVID-19 was the highest among the patient with cardiovascular disease an estimated 10.5% followed by diabetic that was nearly 7.3% and then hypertensive that was 6%.
Any lung related disease or respiratory illness is also on the charts of COVID-19 infections.
People with weak immune response
Among the group of individuals who are suffering from cancer, autoimmune diseases, people with a history of organ transplant or HIV positive also come under the high risk radar of COVID-19. The reason being the weak immune system and sluggish response of body to such infections and treatment.
The Do’s and Don’ts for the high-risk population
Other than the basic precautions the high risk categories need to go an extra mile that others to make sure they can stay safe from the infection
The Do’s
- Try being physically active. Make some in-house exercise routines for self to keep us with the physical health and stay fit.
- Stay at home and make sure other family members also can stay home as much as possible to avoid infection
- Try having home cooked healthy meals. Home cooked meals will not only be more hygienic, but can be regulated on many aspects like oil, salt and portion size.
- Keep up with your prescribed medicines and eat them on time regularly to make sure all body parameters are in range
- Keep a close check on body parameters like sugar, blood pressure and heart activity. The new age devices can help you monitor your health closely without having to leave your house. On the contrary, tests like ECG can also now be done from home with a handheld, portable version of conventional ECG machine- SanketLife ECG device. With very easy and comprehensible operations anyone can take their ECG and get digital reports on mobile. The reports can be shared with the doctor or sent for cardiologist review anytime by the mobile application as well.
The Don’ts
- Don’t believe in everything you hear or read about COVID-19. Make sure to refer authentic sources.
- Don’t ignore any symptom and visit your nearest healthcare facility in case of any doubt or symptom being felt and get yourself tested for the virus.
Having any underlying condition as stated above doesn’t mean you will certainly catch COVID-19, it simply means you need to be a little more cautious then rest of us. Ignorance is a bliss, just not at this time. Be aware and be informed, stay safe!
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