COORDINARE – South Eastern NSW PHN is urging residents and visitors to have a COVID-19 readiness plan.

Dr Anoop Jalota, General Practitioner at Warrawong Accident and Medical Centre said, “COVID is here to stay and the likelihood of contracting the virus is increasing. Planning ahead and preparing to isolate will make things easier if you, or someone in your household, become infected or exposed to COVID-19 and are required to stay at home or in a room for at least seven days. 

“You will have to isolate as soon as you test positive or get notified you are a household or household-like contact.

“There are simple steps you can take to prepare. You can plan for how you or a member of your family will isolate in your home. You should avoid sharing bathrooms and should wear face masks and sanitise surfaces as much as possible.

“Plan ahead for who can help safely deliver supplies if you have to isolate and who can look after children and pets if you become too unwell and need to go to hospital,” added Dr Jalota.

“Make sure you have your usual supplies, including basic medical supplies like paracetamol, ibuprophen and regular medications. You can access a number of managing covid at home checklists online or call the Coronavirus Hotline - 1800 020 080 if you don't have access to a computer,” he said.

According to Dr Jalota, a person who has had COVID-19 is at most risk of passing the infection on to others during the first seven days of their illness. 

“There are certain people who can manage COVID-19 safely in their home. If you are under 65 years of age, have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, do not suffer from any chronic conditions and are not pregnant you can safely manage COVID-19 at home.

“After seven days you may still be infectious for a short time, so it is important that you continue to take measures to protect those around you for several more days.  Please continue to practice social distancing, wear a mask in line with current recommendations and requirements, and regularly wash your hands.

“Unfortunately, people can become unwell with COVID-19 more than once. One benefit of vaccination is that even if you test positive for COVID, you are more likely to experience mild symptoms,” Dr Jalota said.

You can contact your GP or the NSW Health COVID-19 Care at Home Support Line on 1800 960 933 (between 8.30am and 8.30pm) if you are unwell and have any questions. 

For more detailed advice you can also visit the healthdirect managing COVID at home webpage.

Community, Media release