Typical symptoms & solutions

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In the face of COVID-19, it is also necessary to understand the symptoms of the epidemic for better prevention and control. According to current statistics, the incubation period of COVID-19 is usually 3 to 7 days, and the longest period is no more than 14 days, so the maximum period of medical observation is set at 14 days.

The initial clinical manifestations are mainly fever, dry cough and fatigue, of which fever cases account for about 98%. Therefore, in many places, home temperature measurement is required for screening. A small number of patients will have nasal congestion, runny nose, diarrhea and other symptoms. Of course, there are people who are infected with the virus but don't show any clinical symptoms, but they are still infectious.

As the disease progresses, the virus replicates more and more, and the body's immune response to the virus becomes stronger and stronger, severe cases can develop dyspnea, acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock, and difficult-to-correct internal environmental disorders and coagulation dysfunction. Other patients develop life-threatening heart problems during this time. It is important to note that in very severe patients, throughout the course of the disease, the body temperature may be only mild or even no obvious fever.

There are also some patients with mild natural onset process, only showing low fever, slight hair fatigue, and did not enter the severe pneumonia period, about a week of self-healing. But in the meantime, he's still contagious.

For suspected cases, positive anti-Novel coronavirus nucleic acid in respiratory or blood specimens, or high homology with novel Coronavirus virus gene sequencing in the specimens. As for the diagnosis of novel Coronavirus pneumonia, there is still no complete agreement. Some experts say that nucleic acid test may not be able to detect it completely. Therefore, it is recommended to use CT imaging as the main diagnostic method.

Once some of the above symptoms occur, we must go to the fever clinic of nearby medical institutions in time for nucleic acid testing. currently the designated hospitals for treatment of Novel Coronavirus pneumonia in Nanjing are: Provincial People's Hospital, Zhongda Hospital, Tangshan Branch of The Second Municipal Hospital (Municipal Public Health Medical Center) and Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital.

As for the Novel Coronavirus, there is no need to panic. As long as you take good precautions, you can reduce the infection to the greatest extent. If you are unfortunately infected, do not panic.

What should we do?

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It is really dangerous not to take some protective measures while COVID-19 is still spreading. What should we to in such a context? Several simple but effective measures on how to prevent the infection and slow down the transmission of COVID-19 in the campus will be provided in this section.

Wearing a mask

Wearing a mask is an efficient and important way to protect you from COVID-19. As a student in Southeast university, you should make wearing a mask a normal part while being around other people. The correct way of wearing a mask is introduced down below.

• Clean your hands before you put your mask on. If time permits, you’d better wash your hands using six-step hand-washing method.
• Pick up your mask by their ear loops without touching the mask itself, and bring the loops up to your ears. You need to make sure that the loops are as tight as possible and the mask covers your nose and mouth. Generally, the colored side of the mask is the exterior, you should take care your mask isn’t inside out.
• Press the metal tab above the mask hardly to secure that there is no gap between the mask and the bridge of your nose. By the way, if you feel a metal tab on your chin, that means your mask is upside down.
• Adjust the fit of the mask, you can pull the fold of the mask upward and downward in the meantime to ensure your chin is covered.

Correct steps of wearning a mask (Source: http://news.qau.edu.cn/userfiles/files/news/2020/12/20201218161625.pdf)

Washing hands frequently

Always remember to wash your hands frequently, and it is recommended to use the six-step hand-washing method, which is illustrated in the following video

Six-step hand-washing (Source: https://www.trainerbubble.com/downloads/hand-washing-video/)

Keeping the dormitory clean

The dormitory is almost the most common place for students, so it’s necessary for the students in Southeast university to learn how to keep safe while in the dormitory.

• Wash your hands with soap and running water right after you come back to the dormitory, and disinfect items that have been touched while going out, such as mobile phones and keys.
• Open the windows regularly two or three times a day when the weather is fine for ventilation. It is recommended that the ventilation last for 30 minutes per time.
• Keep the toilet in the dormitory clean, and the floor drain in the bathroom should be replenished frequently.
• Sterilize and clean the surface regularly such as the desktop and the ground.
• Dry clothes and bedding regularly, especially for people living in the south like us students.

Concerns for social activities

As a student in Southeast University, it’s inevitable to go out to do some social activities, like attending classes, going to the laboratory to do some research, participating in some entertaining activities with our friends, and so on. Subject to the spreading of the COVID-19, you can no longer do the social activities whatever you like before, you should make a little change on your social pattern.

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and then throw the tissue in the trash. Germs can be easily spread by coughing and sneezing, so for your sake and for others’ sake, you’d better do a good job of protection.
• Wave your hands instead of shaking hands while you meet acquaintances and put one meter of distance at least between the person you meet if possible.
• Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces like restaurants, bars, fitness centers, or movie theaters and so on.