The new coronavirus COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease) is an infectious disease that is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was first reported in November 2019 in Wuhan, China.

It then spread rapidly. After it had sickened over 1,000,000 people and killed more than 80,000 worldwide, it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. Since then, it has radically changed the way the world lives, works and interacts as businesses, schools and social gatherings shut down in many of the world’s largest cities.

California has over 16000 corona virus cases to date. This number is expected to rise as more rigorous testing is conducted. In this article, we will examine what you need to do if you’re in California and suspect you may have contracted the Corona virus disease.

Symptoms

What makes the virus especially deadly and difficult to mitigate against is its symptoms which mimic those of the common cold. Patients report a dry cough, fever, headache, muscle aches and shortness of breath.

Others with the virus have also experienced nausea and diarrhea. These symptoms may occur 2-14 days from the date of exposure. The disease can be fatal to the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions especially if they have a compromised immune system.

What Californians can do if they suspect Coronavirus infection

If you are experiencing the aforementioned symptoms, you should do the following:

• Immediately cease all contact with the outside world
• Limit social contact with pets inside your home (if possible, have others take care of your animals)
• Limit social contact with other family members
• Call your doctor immediately. It is recommended that you call ahead of the visit to ensure the testing kits are available and also to give the medical personnel time to adequately prepared and protect themselves.
• If your doctor is unavailable contact the relevant health authorities to arrange for quarantine measures
• Some counties in California are facilitating testing via Google Alphabet’s new website

California has so far conducted over 8000 tests and the governor is optimistic the number will go rise in the coming days. Governor Gavin Newsom has promised to ramp up testing in the state and has been working with university medical centers, private labs, and even the private tech sector.  It is recommended that people check in with their doctor first before scheduling testing elsewhere.

How long does it take to completely recover from the coronavirus disease?

There is still much unknown about the COVID-19 virus, but at present, statistics indicate that it takes around one month or so to recover completely.

Some research carried out has indicated that people who are infected but are asymptomatic or only show mild symptoms may recover in two weeks. More severe infections could, however, take one month or more to recover fully. The fact of the matter is that even when you feel fine, you can still test positive.

Nursing homes are bound by federal law to operate effective infection control programs

Here in the United States, nursing homes have a mandatory obligation, according to federal law, to operate infection control programs in safe, sanitary, comfortable environments designed to forestall the development and transmission of infectious diseases. Such programs must:

• Carry out investigations, prevent and control any infections
• Instigate procedures including the affective isolation of infected individual residents
• Keep a detailed record of incidents and corrective actions taken

Nursing home staff must be trained to wash their hands regularly, especially after any direct contact with residents, infected or not. All staff must also practice the safe handling, transporting and storing of all linen materials to ensure they do not become infected.

In addition, any members of staff with an infectious disease or with skin lesions that may be infected must be must not come into direct contact either with residents or any food they are given.

Nursing homes can be held liable for coronavirus infections and other types of infections when they result from a failure to adhere to the above requirements. The plain fact of the matter is that nursing homes and long-term rehabilitation centers are liable for any contagious diseases being spread by their employees. See if you are qualified to sue for contracting corona virus.