How can I manage my husband's weakness due to COVID?

Question

Hi doctor,

My husband was tested COVID positive on the 1st of this month. He had a fever for two days, which is gone now. He has a wet cough, which is not very severe, but it is not going away. He is feeling weak. He is not sneezing nor does he have a stuffy nose.

Kindly help me.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern. Your husband has been COVID-positive since the 1st of this month and has been suffering from coughing and weakness. In classic COVID-19 infection, it will mainly affect the respiratory tract, and COVID-positive patients may present with fever and cough. However, a few days later, the cough may become intractable and eventually may develop into COVID pneumonia. In case of any viral infections like COVID-19, weakness is very common and is present in most viral-infected patients. So, your husband's weakness may result from COVID-19-associated complications or consequences. This weakness may persist for days, weeks, or months. Your husband can take glucose mixed water regularly if he is free from diabetes mellitus.

Glucose mixed with water will provide instant energy and increase oxygen supply in the bloodstream. Your husband should take symptomatic treatment. For his coughing, I suggest he take Levosalbutamol, antihistamines, Montelukast, etc. Again, suppose COVID pneumonia is confirmed by HRCT (high-resolution computed tomography) of the chest. In that case, antiviral medications should be added to reduce viral load and antibiotics to prevent any secondary infections. In case of respiratory distress, Dexamethasone should be added. Monitor his oxygen saturation level routinely, and if it declines below 92%, then get him admitted to the hospital for oxygen inhalation therapy.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to reach out in case of further queries.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

As he has already started to take Ascoril syrup (Ambroxol), Cetirizine, and steaming, he does not need any additional medications. However, I have already mentioned that he needs symptomatic treatment. Therefore, if he has symptoms, then he should take medicines according to his symptoms to subside. Such a type of treatment is known as symptomatic treatment. If his coughing is well controlled by taking Ascoril syrup, Cetirizine, and steaming, he does not need any additional medications. He can undergo HRCT of the chest on his sixth to the tenth day from being infected by COVID-19 or becoming COVID positive or from the day he started to develop the symptoms. As eight to nine days have already passed and his oxygen saturation level persists above 96%, he may not need to undergo HRCT of the chest to exclude COVID pneumonia. He can repeat RT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) on his fourteenth day to assess the COVID-19 infection.

I hope I have answered your questions.

In case of any other queries, please get back to me.

Thank you.

Answer 3

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I suggest your husband take the following medicines:

Tablet Levolin 1 mg (Albuterol) three times a day after food for fifteen days.
Tablet Singulair 10 mg (Montelukast) once at night after food for one month.
Tablet Doxiflo 400 mg (Doxofylline) once at night after food for fifteen days.
Tablet Dexamethasone 4 mg once in the morning and once at night after food for fifteen days.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to reach out in case of further queries.

Thank you.