Transcription:
COVID-19, What You Need to Know About Coronavirus

Introduction: This is Hello Healthy, a Dignity Health Podcast. Here's Bill Klaproth.

Bill Klaproth: COVID-19 has changed our world and for the foreseeable future, our daily lives. So what do you need to know about the Coronavirus? Let's find out what Dr. Hemmal Kothary, Family Practice Physician and Chief Medical Officer at Dignity Health Central California division. Dr. Kothary, thank you so much for your time. So first off, what is COVID-19, the Coronavirus?

Dr. Kothary: So COVID-19 is a new Coronavirus that was recently found in humans. It's the first time it's ever been found in humans, usually only found in animals, predominantly bats.

Host: So first time in humans. Is that what makes this virus so dangerous?

Dr. Kothary: You know what, this is a relatively new virus and so we don't really know how this virus works, so we're still learning the processes, but we do know its symptoms come on very fast and it's a very aggressive virus.

Host: And is it easily spread? Is that also what makes it dangerous?

Dr. Kothary: That's absolutely correct. It is extremely easy to spread this. People compare this to the flu, the flu takes, it's a lot harder to spread the flu than it is this virus.

Host: Okay. And who is at risk?

Dr. Kothary: You know, we still talk about the elderly above the age of 65 being at the highest risk. Also people that have a lowered immune system, for example, people that are on chemotherapy people that have diabetes, people that have preexisting lung conditions like COPD for example, or if they have asthma that's not well controlled, they are also at risk.

Host: And what about preexisting conditions? I know you just mentioned a COPD, what about high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity. Do we know of those other preexisting conditions that can put people at high risk?

Dr. Kothary: Diabetes does happen to be one of those preexisting conditions. So anything that will tend to lower your immune system causes you to be at a high risk. People that have heart disease are not at higher risk. However, if they do contract this virus, they are then at higher risk of having complications from this.

Host: So then for people who are not in the high risk factors zone that we were just talking about, why is it so important that people in that category and all of us for that matter practice social distancing.

Dr. Kothary: Yeah. That is the one tactic that we found that helps prevent the spread of this virus. Now we used to believe that younger people weren't susceptible to this virus. They would get the virus, they'd get mild symptoms and then be free of it. However, what we're finding now is that over 40% of the population that's admitted to the hospitals is between the age of 20 and 55 so it is affecting younger people as well. So this virus is now becoming non-discriminatory.

Host: So in words, we're all at risk of getting this. That's why we need to practice social distancing.

Dr. Kothary: Yes, we are. We're absolutely are. And you know, there was this statistic that the Governor put out recently that 56% of the population of California will get this. Initially, a lot of people didn't believe in that, but I think a lot of people do believe that now. And then maybe will be higher than that if we don't practice the social distancing.

Host: Yeah, that makes sense. So then what are the signs and symptoms? What should we watch out for?

Dr. Kothary: So the most common signs and symptoms of this virus include fevers, a dry cough, and shortness of breath. Those are the triad, the most common. However, we are also seeing additional symptoms. We're starting to see people that are having sudden loss of sense, taste or smell. Also any kind of GI symptoms, diarrhea or vomiting, those are starting to add into these symptoms as well.

Host: So if we start experiencing these symptoms all together, what's the first thing we should do?

Dr. Kothary: You know, you're feeling those symptoms, the first thing you should really do is contact your healthcare provider. Now, if your primary physician is busy or can't accommodate you, one of the things that we're doing at Dignity Health is we're providing virtual care visits through a company called Amwell. And you can download the app onto your phone and it's a free visit with a live professional. And they will direct you whether you need to just quarantine yourself at home and not worry about it or go directly and get tested.

Host: Okay. Very good. So then if I believe that I'm exhibiting the symptoms, as you said, call your primary care physician. If you can't try to do tele-health through Amwell, at what point then would it be serious enough that I might need to go to the emergency department or actually make an appointment and try to see my primary care physician?

Dr. Kothary: The biggest thing that we worry about is the shortness of breath. Because this virus has a predisposition of going into the lungs and effecting the lungs. So if you're starting to feel short of breath where you think, you know, I really can't handle this, this is getting a little too much, or you're starting to wheeze, I would definitely get checked out right away. Whether you go to the urgent care or you go to the emergency rooms, you've got to get checked out.

Host: So if you develop a fever, you have a dry cough and you have shortness of breath and then it progresses to the point where you really have trouble breathing. That's when you need to seek professional medical help. Is that correct?

Dr. Kothary: That is absolutely correct. And the primary reason for this is this virus moves very fast, so you may feel okay one minute and next minute you are extremely short of breath. So that's where our cutoff is. So if you have anything like that, especially if you don't have symptoms of asthma, if you never experienced shortness of breath before and it comes on, all of a sudden, you have to get medical attention right away.

Host: So that's a very good point to remember. So this is a time of high stress and anxiety for all of us. Do you have any tips to help us get through this, to help us manage that stress and anxiety during this crisis?

Dr. Kothary: If we can get through this episode of the Coronavirus this season. I know there's lots of companies working on whether it be a treatment of a pill or a shot like the flu shot, we're going to figure this out. You know, we've got a lot of smart people in this country and they're working, you know, all night and day on this treatment for this. So I think we just got to maintain and manage through this season and I think we should be okay. And it's pretty much like the H1N1 we had that in 2009 at the end of the next year we had a solution. We had a shot that prevented H1N1. So I think this is something that we just have to deal with. And the best way to deal with this is social distancing. Like we've talked about. Hand hygiene is another really big important thing. And also avoiding touching your face. You know, that's how you transmit the virus and it gets in your body is by touching your face. So if you can avoid touching your face at all costs, that's the best way to do this.

Host: Yeah, really good tips. And hearing you say we're going to figure this out certainly makes me feel better. And I'm sure people listening right now. So, and we are doing our part with social distancing with this stay at home orders. Hopefully people are washing their hands, trying to be cognizant of touching their face. I know we do it automatically sometimes, but just trying to, Oh gosh, don't touch my face. So all of that is trying to help flatten the curve. Right. Can you explain that just a little bit to us to help us understand that?

Dr. Kothary: Sure. So you know what we want to do is we in California are at an uprise on the curve. So we're increasing in the number of cases. What we want to get to is we want to flatten the curve. So meaning that we don't want any new cases, we want to flatten that curve and then start on the decline to having these people improve and get better from their symptoms.

Host: Right. And if we do that flattening of the curve, obviously April's going to be tough, but hopefully when we get into May we're going to see the downward trend of new cases. Is that right?

Dr. Kothary: That is correct. And the more we practice social distancing, the longer the peak will be in. Hopefully the lower the peak will be as well.

Host: So Dr. Kothary, earlier you were talking about tele-health, I know that's one of the things Dignity Health is doing to help alleviate those who need to see a physician. How do we log on to that? How do we get onto it? Tell us a little bit more about that.

Dr. Kothary: So it's available on any of your smart phones and it's a free app that you can download onto your phone once you download it. There's a section for you to sign up for it and it's just a few clicks. You sign up and within minutes you can get a live professional to help guide you on your symptoms. They will go over all your symptoms and direct you whether you need to go to the emergency room, you need to go get tested, or you can just remain at home and see how things go.

Host: What a great tool and what should we search for in the app store?

Dr. Kothary: The app is called Virtual Care.

Host: Easy enough. Dr. Kothary. This has really been informative and helpful. Thank you so much for your time. I know you're very busy. Thank you again.

Dr. Kothary: Thank you, sir. Bye.

Host: That's Dr. Hemmal Kothary, Again to take advantage of a Virtual Urgent Care Visit- down load the "Virtual Care Anywhere app and use promo Code COVID19 for a free visit. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is Hello Healthy, a Dignity Health Podcast. I'm Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.