Since early March, my team at BreatheMD and I have tested almost 4000 Houstonians for COVID-19.  As an outpatient facility, we are fortunately seeing younger patients with mild or no symptoms test positive, despite the recent surge in cases.  

With less severe symptoms, people often wonder if they need treatment.  Early-on, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin were widely prescribed for outpatients with COVID-19, but since data on the effectiveness of these drugs has not been convincing, most physicians no longer routinely prescribe them.  Recently, steroids have shown promise in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 but due to the side effects, are not recommended for everyone.

At BreatheMD, we advise patients with COVID-19 and mild respiratory symptoms to use a heating pad on the chest, take high-dose Vitamin C, and hydrate as much as possible.  If these measures are not enough, we provide breathing treatments (hypertonic saline and albuterol) to patients while they stay in their cars and can give IV fluids should patients show signs of dehydration.  Tylenol is advised for fever and body aches.

Many patients wonder how long to quarantine and if/when they should retest.  Unfortunately, the CDC’s guidelines are not applicable to every situation and leave some room for interpretation.   I advise my patients to wait at least a week after symptoms have completely resolved to retest, and since I often see patients test positive two to three weeks after their first test, waiting longer is better if possible.  I believe most people should retest with a negative result before leaving quarantine, but it’s not absolutely necessary if the patient is not required to interact with large numbers of people.  Without a doubt, however, the longer people quarantine and wear masks out in public, the sooner we put this pandemic behind us.

For family and friends who have come in contact with patients with COVID-19, the best time to test is at least five days after exposure to avoid a false-negative result.  Not all people with significant exposure to COVID-19 get infected, as I’ve seen many families where only one or two people contract the disease.   

For patients who have recovered from COVID-19, we recommend reaching out to Methodist Hospital to see if they can help others by donating their plasma (www.houstonmethodist.org/blood-plasma-donation).

For more information on COVID-19, please see our website, www.breathemd.org/faqs-covid.