How to treat yourself at home if you have Omicron

Amid the ongoing risk of getting infected with COVID-19, Canadians may be wondering how to go about treating themselves, should they catch the virus. Experts share their advice for handling infection and what supplies to stock up on for recovery.

“The whole point of masking and all the public health measures is to prevent people from catching COVID,” Dr. Christopher Labos, a cardiologist and epidemiologist based in Montreal, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Tuesday. “It’s the old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Amid the ongoing risk of becoming infected, Canadians may be wondering how to go about treating themselves, should they catch COVID-19. Access to PCR testing remains limited across different provinces, and rapid antigen tests are seemingly less sensitive against the predominant Omicron variant. Still, certain symptoms serve as common indicators of COVID-19 infection. They generally include a runny nose, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, a body temperature equal to or above 38 C, fatigue and body aches, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), although symptoms can vary from person to person.

While certain groups may be more likely to experience severe cases of COVID-19 infection, such as those over the age of 60 and anyone who is immunocompromised, most people who have received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine are likely to experience mild disease that doesn’t require hospital treatment, experts say.

Still, even as restrictions continue to be lifted, it’s important to remember that COVID-19 isn’t gone, said Dr. Kashif Pirzada, an emergency room physician based in Toronto.