OUR health is the most important thing – and it is more crucial now than ever to protect it. Dr Hilary Jones – health editor for ITV’s Good Morning Britain and Lorraine – is The Sun’s go-to expert to answer any concerns or worries you may have regarding the virus.
We have received more than 5,000 questions from YOU to put to the doctor this week. He has been a calming influence with his reassuring and authoritative advice. Here are his latest answers to your questions.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
Q: I’ve been told to isolate for 12 weeks as I’m in a high-risk group. I’ve been told I can open a window but can I sit in my garden?
A: You can open the window and you can sit in your back garden because you are not having any contact with other people who could potentially transmit the virus to you. Twelve weeks is a long time to isolate and you need fresh air and a change of scenery from being inside.
Q. I work in an NHS admin and clerical outpatient department. Is it essential for me to be in work?
A: Despite the coronavirus outbreak, many patients still need to go to hospital for treatments, tests and check-ups. Therefore, their appointments and medical records need to be correct as usual. You are still an important cog in the big NHS wheel but check with your line manager and keep that two metre distance from patients and colleagues.
Q. My son-in-law had a letter to say he should isolate due to underlying health conditions but his boss says he must keep working and if he doesn’t, he won’t get paid. Is it safe for him to go into work?
A: If your son-in-law has this letter, he should abide by it for his own protection. Most employers are being responsible but this one needs to be more sympathetic and check Public Health England guidance.
Q. My wife has multiple sclerosis and I have diabetes. Should we self-isolate for 12 weeks?
A: Neither of you are in the highest risk group but you are vulnerable. You aren’t being told to isolate but if you can it will be safer. Keep social contact to a minimum and get food delivered if possible.
Q. Even though we are in partial lockdown are we putting off the inevitable? Are we all going to get the virus eventually?
A: It is by no means inevitable that we will all be exposed to the virus and come down with its symptoms. This has never happened in previous pandemics. A proportion of the population will get it but, with lockdown, we are protecting many people from it especially the most vulnerable, which is what we need to do. The hope is that as more people become immune the prevalence of the virus in the population will diminish and reduce transmission to those who have not had it.
Q. I am on naproxen twice a day for hip arthritis. Should I stop taking it as it is an immunosuppressant?
A: Naproxen is a useful medication for arthritic pain and works as an anti-inflammatory. There is some evidence that anti-inflammatories reduce the body’s response to fighting the virus whereas other painkillers like paracetamol do not. Much depends on how much pain you are in. If you are unlucky enough to get the virus, the effect is probably only marginal, so don’t worry too much.
Amazing, always
YOUR words of support for the NHS are flooding in. Here are just a few . . .
You are all truly amazing, as always. How can we ever repay you? Paula Kerswell
Wish I could come back and join you but I’m now classed as “vulnerable”. Gwen Giles, Ewhurst Green
Thank you so much for everything you are doing. James Pinnegar
Please take care of your-selves as you take care of your patients. Bella Djibouti
The word hero is often overused but every single one of you are definitely heroes. Caroline Arnold
You are amazing people and we are proud. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Vandra Lough, Glasgow
Q. I am a manager of a convenience shop providing the community with what they need. We have not been given gloves or any Personal Protection Equipment. Is there anything I should do to keep myself and my staff safe?
A: Ensure that you have plenty of hand sanitiser and encourage staff to wash their hands frequently. Keep customers two metres apart from your staff, including when they are behind the till. Tell them to step away from customers when they pay and put the items in their bags.
Q. I read in the paper about a 98-year-old man who had coronavirus and how his family think the medication he took for a suspected water infection may have played a part in his recovery. Could this be true?
A: There is no medication in use for other current infections that is recommended at the moment as a general treatment for the virus.
Q. I am 21-weeks pregnant. Should I work until my maternity leave or self-isolate?
A: You should work from home if possible. Pregnant women should stay at home because they are in the vulnerable group. It is recommended you do this now, don’t wait.
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