STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues to rise, so does the number of questions about the deadly illness -- everything from how to keep from getting sick to how to know if you should go to the hospital.
These issues -- and many more -- are being answered in a viral video (which is available in a full-length and an abbreviated version) being shared on social media of Dr. David Price, a critical care pulmonologist at Weill Cornell Medical Center, who is caring for patients with COVID-19.
âYou may hear a little inflection in my voice like Iâm emotional, itâs not because Iâm scared, itâs actually the opposite. For the first time in a while, Iâm actually not scared,â says Price at the beginning of the recording.
Here are some of the key answers shared by Price in the abbreviated video, which can be viewed above.
How do you get COVID-19?
The overarching theme is sustained contact with someone who has the disease, or someone who is about to get the disease â which means someone who will develop symptoms of the disease in the next one to two days, according to Price.
Symptoms include fever, body aches and a sore throat, as well as shortness of breath.
âThe way you get this is transmission of the virus almost exclusively from your hands to your face,â says Price. âFrom your hands to your face. So itâs either into your eyes, into your nose, or into your mouth.â
He explains that while there is talk about contracting the disease through the air, it would have to be very long sustained contact with someone in an unprotected environment in a very closed room without any type of mask.
âThe thing that makes me smile is I know now that I wonât get this disease because I know how to protect myself,â he states.
How do I protect myself?
âAlways know where your hands are and have Purell,â says Price. âWhen you touch stuff thatâs outside your home, just make sure youâre washing your hands.â
He says itâs important people learn to not touch your face. You can train by wearing a mask inside and outside your home -- and it doesnât need to be an N95 mask.
âYou donât have to be scared of the outside world now,â he says. âYou donât have to be scared of your neighbor, and Iâve actually found that to be incredibly liberating right now."
Although, he emphasizes that people should continue to stay six feet away from others.
What do I do if I get this disease?
If you have something that feels like a cold, or you feel like youâre getting sick, Price says you should take precautions like you had COVID-19 for at least one to two days.
âIf in one to two days, youâre feeling much better and this is like a thousand other colds youâve had in the past year because you have kids, you donât have COVID-19,â he says. âAnd then you can go back to your completely normal living-at-home life with your family.â
He says the danger is people being too cavalier when developing symptoms and exposing their family too early.
When should I go to the hospital?
âIf youâre feeling short of breath, come to the hospital,â Price says. âThat is the rule. That is the clearest thing. Itâs not, âI have a fever.â Itâs not, âI think I have COVID-19.â Itâs not, âI canât stop having those body aches.â Itâs, âI feel short of breath when I get up to go to the bathroom.â Those are people that should come to the hospital to be evaluated.â
He says about 10% of the population getting COVID-19 need to go to the hospital because they are short of breath. About 1% to 3% who need to go a hospital are put on ventilators. The overwhelming majority of people come off the ventilator, usually seven to 10 days later, Price explains.
âI think the important thing for you guys to know is going to the hospital is not a death sentence,â he says. âItâs a safe place for you to be. Go to the hospital when youâre short of breath. Donât go to the hospital just because you have COVID-19.â
Should I get tested if I have COVID-19?
Price says it depends on the availability of testing in your community.
If you are experiencing symptoms of the flu, he says itâs likely you have COVID-19. Behaviors protecting yourself and others wouldnât change by knowing if you are positive or not.
âIf your community⊠is testing a lot and you have clear access to testing, absolutely getting the test is a good idea,â Price says. âWhen itâs negative, then in a day when youâre feeling better, you can have full interaction with your family. That is the key. If you live In a community where thereâs very rare testing going on at this point, do not try and jump the line to someone whoâs actually short of breath and really not doing well just to make yourself feel better to know that you have it.â
A man wears personal protective equipment as he rides his bicycle along Roosevelt Avenue Saturday, April 4, 2020, in the Queens borough of New York. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) AP
Seen in the corner of Palma Dr. and Targee St. (Courtesy of Patrick Hodgens )
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A sign encouraging social distancing is seen inside the Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Sunday, April 5, 2020. (Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/TNS) TNS
A sign acknowledging the work of doctors and nurses is posted on a traffic control box outside Brooklyn Hospital Center, as a hospital worker, right, waits for a traffic light to change before reporting to duty, Sunday, April 5, 2020, in New York. The Brooklyn hospital is one of several in the area treating high numbers of coronavirus patients. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) AP
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By the Staten Island ferry entrance, empty streets due to coronavirus where action was a constant. (Staten Island Advance/ Jan Somma-Hammel)
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Volunteers and staff from Samaritan's Purse, a Christian Relief Organization, set up a field hospital for Covid-19 patients in Central Park across from Mt. Sinai Hospital Monday, March 30, 2020 in Manhattan, New York. (Photo by Barry Williams/New York Daily News/TNS)
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In the full version of the video, Price answers many questions about the coronavirus -- such as wiping down groceries or taking ibuprofen.
Price says it is reasonable to have groceries delivered and left outside your door. But he says, for everything you touch, you should clean your hands. And he adds that you donât need to wipe down the groceries, just keep cleaning your hands.
Also -- If you exhibit any symptoms, Prices advises against taking ibuprofen.
âWeâre not using it [ibuprofen] in the hospital anymore,â he says. âThereâs really good data from Germany that thereâs worse outcomes in people, more inflammation in people who use ibuprofen.â
He says to stick to acetaminophen, or Tylenol.
Perhaps the most important information shares is that the coronavirus affects the entire spectrum of ages, and that people with zero medical problems are getting this disease, going to the hospital and going on ventilators.
You can watch the full version of Priceâs video below.
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