NICE issues rapid guidelines to provide recommendations to manage the symptoms. These recommendations are specifically for healthcare professionals.
KEY SYMPTOMS:
• Cough
• Fever
• Breathlessness
• Anxiety
• Delirium
• Muscle ache
• Headache
• If the symptoms are weak, patients feel better within a week
Managing cough:
• Initial management of the cough should be with honey
• Later NICE recommended codeine linctus (15 mg/5 ml) or codeine phosphate tablets
• The other choice is morphine sulphate oral solution
Managing fever:
• Paracetamol is the recommended treatment for managing fever
Managing breathlessness:
• Encourage patients to relax
• Keep the patients in a cool place
• Encourage opening of the windows for better flow of the air
• Provide oxygen therapy
Managing anxiety:
• Provide lorazepam tablets
• People who cannot swallow can be administered with midazolam injection
• For delirium, administer haloperidol tablets
• For patients who are suffering from delirium and are unable to swallow, administer levomepromazine injection
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