Day 12. What to do if you think you've caught it.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could all get a mild, symptomless case of the coronavirus, develop immunity to it and then get on with our lives? About 80% of us will do just that, but meanwhile, the other 20% will suffer serious illness and perhaps die. So, in order for the 80% not to infect the 20%, social distancing is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
If you suspect you might have caught it, compare how you feel with the following: 

Here's how symptoms progress among typical patients day by day, according to the Chinese CDC:

Day 1 (after the incubation period): Patients run a fever. They may also experience fatigue, muscle pain, and a dry cough. A small minority may have had diarrhea or nausea one to two days before. If you experience these symptoms, stay at home and self-isolate for seven days. Treat your symptoms the same way you would normally treat the flu.

Day 5: Patients may have difficulty breathing — especially if they are older or have a preexisting health condition. Now is the time to call the hospital. If it is only a mild case, you should start to improve in about 10-14 days.

Day 8: At this point, patients with severe cases (15%, according to a study from the Chinese CDC) may develop acute respiratory distress syndrome, an illness that occurs when fluid builds up the lungs. ARDS is often fatal. 

Day 10: If patients have worsening symptoms, this is the time in the disease's progression when they're most likely to be admitted to an intensive-care unit. Perhaps they will be put on a ventilator to help them get enough oxygen. These patients probably have more abdominal pain and appetite loss than patients with milder cases. 

Day 17: On average, people who recover from the virus are discharged from the hospital after 2 1/2 weeks. 

What to do to protect yourself from the virus:

1. Get the regular flu vaccine. People who are protected from regular flu are less likely to suffer from the coronavirus.
2. Drink plenty of clear fluids: water, herbal teas.
3. Red wine and black tea have been known to protect the body from viral infection.
4. Take vitamin C and D.
5. Take some exercise and fresh air.

What to do if you catch the COVID-19:

1. Let the fever do its job. It helps to round up the body's immune defense army. Don't take medication unless the fever is higher than 102 deg. F or 38.9 deg. C.
2. Sleep and rest as much as possible.
3. Keep drinking plenty of warm fluids, chicken broth with pepper to thin mucus.
4. Stop eating sugar and grains. Drink and eat fermented foods, eggs, grass-fed beef, fruit and vegetables, mushrooms, garlic.
5. Gargle with Hydrogen Peroxide.
6. Stay warm and get well.

Family of friends of mine, a young couple in France have caught the virus and have been ill for the past 12 days. They haven't needed to go to the hospital, just called the doctor and are staying home. Nevertheless, they are both in serious pain with a high fever from the so-called mild case of the coronavirus. 
Update day 13: they still have a high fever and the virus has now gone into their lungs but the hospital is full so they are forced to stay home. Their daughter is also not well. My friends are very worried but can't do anything. They are forced to stay isolated in their own home.
Update day 14: their fever has gone down. Hurrah!