COVID-19 Treatments
If you’ve tested positive for COVID-19, you may be worried about how to manage your symptoms or confused about when to seek medical care. To help you get the right treatment, here’s some information about managing your symptoms, available therapies, when to seek emergency care and what to do if you have lingering symptoms.
Currently, there is a lot of information published on the internet, social media and elsewhere that advocate for treatments unproven against COVID-19. While you should feel free to discuss and ask questions about any treatment with your provider, know that Piedmont encourages doctors and other providers to only prescribe treatments that are evidence-based.
The following are not evidence-based treatments for COVID-19 patients:
- Ivermectin
- Convalescent Plasma
- MMR Booster
- Melatonin
- Black Pepper & Turmeric
- Kineret/anakinra
- Pepcid/famotidine
- Hydroxychloroquine
- MATH + Protocol
- Nebulized budesonide
- Low-Dose Lung Radiation
- Lower Energy Shockwave Treatment
Anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of these treatments is correlative in nature and does not equate to evidence-based medicine.
COVID-19 Self-Care Tips
Click on the self-care tips below to read more about what you can do to manage your COVID-19 symptoms.
Self-Care Tips
1. Stay at home
- Don’t leave your house or visit public places unless you’re getting medical care.
- Have groceries and household items delivered or dropped off by a friend or neighbor.
- Stay home until you’ve been fever-free for at least 72 hours without taking fever-reducing medicine and it’s been at least seven days since your symptoms began.
2. Avoid contact with others
- If you live with other people or pets, separate yourself from them as much as possible.
- Sleep in another room and use a separate bathroom if you can.
- If you must be around others or pets, wear a mask.
- Regularly clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces, like light switches, doorknobs, faucets, toilets, appliance handles and countertops.
3. Pay attention to your symptoms
- The most common COVID-19 symptoms are cough, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, runny nose or congestion, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
- If you have emergency warning signs, seek medical care immediately.
4. Take care of your body
- Rest, get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated and eat nutritious meals.
- You can take an over-the-counter pain reliever like acetaminophen as needed for fever, headache or minor aches and pains.
5. Communicate with your doctor or other providers
- If you have emergency warning signs, seek medical care immediately.
- If you’re seeking medical care, call ahead and let your provider’s office know you have tested positive for COVID-19 or suspect you have the virus.
- If possible, avoid using public transportation, taxis or ride-sharing.
6. Wash your hands often
- Clean your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds after coughing, sneezing, using the bathroom or blowing your nose, and before eating, preparing food or touching your face.
- If you don’t have immediate access to soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
7. Let close contacts know you have COVID-19
- It’s possible to spread the virus 48 hours before you ever have symptoms.
- If you’ve been around other people, let them know so they can get tested.
8. Do not share food or food containers
Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that handling food or consuming food is associated with COVID-19. However, it is always important to follow good food safety practices to reduce the risk of illness from common foodborne pathogens.
9. Once you have recovered, get vaccinated or boosted if you have not already done so.
COVID vaccines have been demonstrated to be safe, and to reduce the severity of symptoms, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Additional Treatment Options
Monoclonal Antibody Infusion for COVID-19
Based on the National Institutes of Health guidance, Piedmont Healthcare has discontinued offering monoclonal antibodies treatments due to their lack of effectiveness against the omicron variant of COVID-19. This includes bamlanivimab plus etesevimab (Eli Lilly) and casirivimab plus imdevimab (Regeneron). Please consult your provider for appropriate treatment options.
Paxlovid or molnupiravir (pills that must be prescribed by your doctor)
Paxlovid is a type of protease inhibitor that is available under emergency use authorization for those who test positive for Covid. The pills must be started within 5 days of symptom onset. Not everyone can take this therapy and certain medical conditions may exclude you. Both Paxlovid and Molnupiravir are types of anti-virals. Please discuss with your physician if either Paxlovid or molnupiravir are right for you.
When to Seek Emergency Care for COVID-19
In some circumstances, it may be necessary to seek emergency care for COVID-19 symptoms. Here are some signs you or a loved one needs to go to your nearest emergency department or call 911.
- Difficulty breathing
- Ongoing chest pain or pressure
- Inability to wake up or stay awake
- Bluish lips or face
- New confusion
If you dial 911 or call ahead to the emergency department, let the operator know you or your loved one has or may have COVID-19.
Treatment for lingering COVID-19 symptoms
If you experience lingering symptoms after recovering from COVID-19, the Piedmont Pulmonary Recovery Clinic at Piedmont Atlanta may be able to help. The clinic’s multidisciplinary team provides the medical care and support you need while recovering from long-term COVID-19 symptoms.
The clinic provides persistent symptom management, diagnostics services and clinical partnerships if you require care from other specialties. These services are available even if you only had mild to moderate symptoms or were never hospitalized.
Call 404-832-6819 to schedule an appointment.