2021 is just a couple of days away but the world is still reeling from coronavirus, technically referred to as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), discovered in late 2019 in Wuhan, China.

COVID-19 is the name given to the disease caused by the lethal virus. To date, at least 80 million people have been reported to contract the flu bug. Also, at least 1.7 million coronavirus-related deaths have been confirmed globally.

SARS-CoV-2 is a highly transmissible virus that causes disease with symptoms varying from mild to extremely severe. Several pieces of researches tell us that around 90% of the people who catch the novel coronavirus infection get mild to no symptoms at all. 5-8% suffer from moderate to severe symptoms, while only 1-2% need critical care. So the positive news is that 90% of patients need only symptomatic treatment. The remaining ones need to be monitored and checked in the hospital settings.

Infected individuals who need symptomatic treatment can be treated at home in less than Rs. 1,000. So if you're one of them then you need not worry as you can recover completely by just taking symptomatic treatment.

But first, you should know the symptoms of COVID-19. These include fever, runny nose, dry cough, sore throat, body aches, loss of either sense of smell or taste or both. It must be remembered that not everyone gets each of these symptoms. If you get any of these symptoms you need to self-isolate and get treatment for your symptoms.

The medication for Covid victims having mild symptoms is affordable for most people as it costs less than a thousand rupees. If you are one of the people who have contracted the flu bug, you can rid of your Covid symptoms at home by following these guidelines:

• Treat fever and body aches with an over-the-counter Paracetamol/Acetaminophen.

• Treat congestion or runny nose with oxymetazoline 0.05% nasal spray, an over-the-counter nasal decongestant. A combination of steam and Vicks can also be used to alleviate congestion.

• Treat dry cough with OTC cough syrups or lozenges.

• Treat sore throat with salt water gargles.

• Take proper sleep and stay isolated for at least 14 days.

It must be noted that no antibiotics, homeopathic medicines, steroids, or multivitamins are needed to conquer the viral infection. There isn't any need for repeat PCR tests just stay home and finish your quarantine period (lasting 7-14 days from the onset of symptoms).

This therapy is relatively inexpensive and the best part is that an overwhelming majority of patients need only these to get back on their feet.

Immuno-compromised Covid patients suffering from systemic diseases usually need daily monitoring and should be admitted to the hospital if their symptoms worsen.

Lastly, it should be noted that there is still no specific cure available for Covid-19, all the above-mentioned ones are used to treat the patient symptomatically. Even the vaccine drives that have begun in several countries is just a preventive therapy. The anti-viral drugs that can kill the SARS-CoV-2 are also being trialed in many countries but no significant success is gained so far.