HOW LONG WILL QUARANTINE LAST BY HEALTH EXPERTS

How long will quarantine last

Due to the increasing number of coronavirus outbreak cases, the word  “Quarantine” has been appearing a lot. And we also have a lot of questions in our mind like “how long will quarantine last” and “how to self-quarantine” and so on. Generally, quarantine is used as a preventative measure. Quarantine is an important process for people who may have come into contact with an infectious person are kept separate from the rest of the people until it's known for sure that they don’t have it.

The coronavirus that was recently discovered in Wuhan China it is a beta coronavirus. It is actually the seventh Coronavirus found to cause illness in humans. Unlike other coronaviruses, it can cause respiratory and gastrointestinal infections due to its ability to binding the respiratory and gastrointestinal cells with its viral proteins.

The Coronavirus symptoms can take a few days to weeks for appearing.  Therefore quarantine and isolation are both tactics used in an attempt to stop the disease from spreading and prevent coronavirus outbreaks.

The Coronavirus can have variable respiratory and possible gastrointestinal symptoms we mention in this article. So when a patient gets in contact with this virus there is a cover period. It takes, what the researchers believe to be from 2 to 14 days after getting exposed to the virus. It takes approximately 2 to 14 days to experience symptoms and become ill with it.

The researchers looked back at the first known infections with coronavirus. Some that came later in Europe and also other areas of the world. They did their analysis based on 181 infected people by using the information on when people could have been exposed to the coronavirus. They assessed when people showed symptoms of coughing, sore throat, and fever. They found the median number of days before a person would show symptoms was 5 days.

However, it is with great certainty that people would show symptoms at least after 11 days. To control for the fact that people can be misdiagnosed especially with so many diseases having coughing and sore throat. They did a similar analysis with the disease of fever and found similar results.

Some people showing symptoms as early as 6 days but normally in 5 to 7 days. While in extreme cases is not showing symptoms for 12 days. With such a variation of days raises the question “ how long will quarantine last “.

So using the same data and assumptions the researchers introduced new variables length of quarantine versus the risk of infection. The researchers found 14-day quarantine shows only a 0.1% chance of escaping detection of the coronavirus. The use of a 14-day quarantine reducing the risk of missing the infection to around 0.1% which is extremely low.

Coronavirus symptoms Day by Day

The typical daily symptoms are concluded from the study of 138 patients at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University and another study involving 135 patients from Jinyintan Hospital and 56 patients from Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital.

These symptoms are broken down into:

DAY 1 TO 2

The beginning symptoms are similar to the common cold with a mild sore throat and neither having a fever nor feeling tired. Patients can still consume food and drink as usual.

DAY 3

The patient's throats start to feel a bit painful. Body temperature reads at around 36.5° celsius. Although it's uncommon, other symptoms like mild nausea, vomiting, or mild diarrhea are possible to set in.

DAY 4

Throat pain becomes more serious. Other symptoms like feeling weak and joint pain start to manifest. The patient may show a temperature reading between 36.5° to 37° celsius.

DAY 5 TO 6

Mild fever starts. The patients show a temperature reading above 37.2° celsius. The second most common symptom, dry cough, also appears. Dyspnea or breathing difficulty may occur occasionally. Most patients in this stage are easily feeling tired. Other symptoms remain about the same. These four symptoms are among the top five key indications of COVID-19 according to the final report of the initial outbreak conducted by the joint mission of China and the WHO.

DAY 7

The patients that haven't started recovering by day 7 get more serious coughs and breathing difficulty. Fever can get higher up to 38° celsius. Patients may develop further headaches and body pain or worsening diarrhea if there’s any. Many patients are admitted to the hospital at this stage.

DAY 8 TO 9

On the 8th day, the symptoms are likely to be worsened for the patient who has coexisting medical conditions. Severe shortness of breath becomes more frequent. Temperature reading goes well above 38°. In one of the studies, day 9 is the average time when Sepsis starts to affect 40% of the patients.

DAY 10 TO 11

Doctors are ordering imaging tests like chest x-ray to capture the severity of respiratory distress in patients. Patients are having loss of appetite and may be facing abdominal pain. The condition also needs immediate treatment in ICU.

DAY 12 TO 14

For the survivors, the symptoms can be well-managed at this point. Fever tends to get better and breathing difficulties may start to cease on day 13. But Some patients may still be affected by mild cough even after hospital discharge.

 

DAY 15 TO 16

Day 15 is the opposite condition for the rest of the minority patients. The fragile group must prepare for the possibility of acute cardiac injury or kidney injury.

DAY 17 TO 19

COVID-19 fatality cases happen at around day 18. Before the time, vulnerable patients may develop a secondary infection caused by a new pathogen in the lower respiratory tract. The severe condition may then lead to blood coagulation and ischemia.

DAY 20 TO 22

The surviving patients are recovered completely from the disease and are discharged from the hospital.

How to self quarantine

The duration of the home quarantine period is 14 days. During this period a home quarantine person should follow these steps-

• Stay in a well-ventilated room with a separate toilet.
• Maintain a distance of at least one meter with family members.
• Stay away from elderly people, pregnant women, and children.
• Restrict movement within the house.
• Do not attend any social gathering.
• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water at least 20 seconds.
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid sharing household items.
• Wear a surgical disposable mask at all times.
• Family members must avoid shaking the soiled linen.
• Family members must avoid direct contact with the skin.
• Use disposable gloves.
• Wash hands regularly.
• Do not allow visitors in the house.
• All close contacts to be home quarantined for 14 days or more.
• Regularly clean and disinfect quarantined person’s room.
• Clean and disinfect toilet surfaces regularly.

If symptoms like cough, fever, and difficulty in breathing appear then you should inform the nearest health center.

How long will quarantine last in us

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is responsible for the government’s quarantine practices to prevent infectious diseases from coming into the country. They have quarantine stations in major cities. The airports, seaports, and border crossings, that are staffed with medical and public health officers who determine if someone needs to be quarantined or isolated.

 If they are quarantined, they may either get sent to a government facility, like a military base, or their own home. At government facilities, they are given food and accommodations and are also allowed to contact their friends and family while medical professionals monitor their health a couple of times in a day.

At current quarantine sites in the US, they offer exercise classes, activities for kids, and mental health services. But in some of the cases, people say it still feels like being in prison. In rare cases, an entire geographical area can be quarantined, where people are not allowed to enter or leave that particular area.

Now some people have questioned the effectiveness of quarantines and the ethics of keeping healthy people detained. They fear that mandatory quarantines may do more harm than good. Some people have even fled from their homes to avoid being quarantined. This is not only risk their life but also risk the lives of others.

Around the world, each country may have its own laws regarding the use of quarantines. But those countries who are members of the World Health Organization must abide by its rules and regulations. They must notify the World Health Organization when certain infectious diseases are diagnosed, and stay within the limits of their allowed counter-measures.

To prevent this new coronavirus, without thinking "how long will quarantine last" we should follow the quarantine guidelines.  We wash our hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds in regular intervals. If your hands are dirty you can use an alcohol-based sanitizer instead. If needed avoid close contact with sick individuals. You should maintain approximately two-meter or six feet radius. Avoid travel to affected areas. Avoid school and workplaces if you are sick or ill. These methods help prevent all sorts of illnesses, especially respiratory illnesses. So again these are methods we can use to help prevent this new coronavirus.

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