What to do after recovering from COVID-19?

When your COVID-19 symptoms were at their worst, you were probably just concerned with the basics: rest, hydration, and keeping an eye on your symptoms for signs of worsening.

Now that your path to recovery is becoming clearer, you may be wondering what your "new normal" will be once your symptoms have subsided. COVID-19 comes with a few more question marks, unlike the typical ailments you're familiar to, like a cold or the flu.

How long do you think I'll remain contagious? Is it necessary for me to be concerned about these persistent symptoms? Does this mean I'm no longer need to be vaccinated or wear a mask?

Kashyap Parekh, who was impacted by the virus during the pandemic, is here to help you understand what life is like after recovering from COVID-19.

If you're still infectious, stay at home.

COVID-19 is considered to be most contagious in the days leading up to symptom start (also known as the presymptomatic phase) and for the first few days after symptoms begin.

However, a person's immune system may take many days to eliminate the virus from their body.

"Most studies demonstrate that your body clears the active virus after 10 days of infection," explains Kashyap Parekh. "Following 10 days since testing positive for coronavirus and 72 hours after remission of his or her respiratory symptoms and fever, a person with COVID-19 is likely no longer infectious,"

Follow the CDC's isolation requirements when it comes to staying home long enough to assure you're no longer contagious. Even if you're asymptomatic or your symptoms are easing up and you're feeling better, you must complete your seclusion to avoid spreading COVID-19 to others.

It's possible that certain symptoms can linger longer than you expect.

COVID-19 causes a wide range of symptoms, the most frequent of which are fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath.

The severity and length of these symptoms varies from person to person, although some are more likely to persist far into your recovery phase.

"Some COVID-19 symptoms last longer than others," says the author. "Fatigue and loss of taste and smell, in particular, can last much beyond the period of infection."

These lasting symptoms aren't very concerning for most people, despite being painful and/or bothersome.

You must still be vaccinated or receive a booster, wear a mask, and maintain social distance.

Immunity is difficult, and certainly, COVID-19 infection may resurface.

In fact, a recent research indicated that individuals who had not been vaccinated were twice as likely to become infected with COVID-19 after they had recovered from their sickness.

"We still don't know much about the immune system's reaction to this virus, such as how long protective immunity could endure." We do, however, have a firm grasp on the powerful protection that vaccine-induced immunity gives.

What does this imply for you personally?

Even after you've recovered from COVID-19, you should be vaccinated and continue to take precautions to protect yourself and others from the virus, such as social distance, wearing a mask, and washing your hands often.

Even if you've been vaccinated, you should obtain a COVID booster if you suffer a breakthrough illness. If you're 16 or older, you should have your booster whenever your symptoms have subsided and you've satisfied the requirements for being released from isolation — and the recommended period has passed since your initial series of either Pfizer (5 months), Moderna (6 months), or J&J (5 months) (2 months). COVID-19 patients who got monoclonal antibodies as part of their treatment regimen must wait 90 days before receiving a COVID booster.

The universal measures that assist prevent the transmission of COVID-19 are just that – universal. We're all in this together, and it's up to us to keep our neighbourhood secure. Regardless of whether you've previously had COVID-19 or not, each of us must take these safeguards seriously.