SASKATOON -- As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, CTV Saskatoon aims to bring our audience the latest, most accurate information. We asked for your coronavirus questions on our Facebook page - here are the answers to five of them. We’ll update this page with more answers in the coming days.
Should you get tested if you feel you have a common cold, or symptoms consistent with allergies? What about if you have some, but not all, of the symptoms of COVID-19?
Your best bet is to consult the province’s self-assessment tool. The short answer is this: You do not need to be tested for COVID-19 if in the past 14 days you have not travelled outside Canada or had contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
Transient interactions, such as walking by someone with COVID-19 or being briefly in the same room while maintaining a social distance, are not considered contact.
What medications should you keep in store at home?
Refill your prescriptions now so that you do not have to go to a busy pharmacy if you do become sick. Consider seeing your health care provider to renew your prescriptions ahead of time.
No specific treatment exists for disease caused by COVID-19. However, most people with COVID-19 illness will recover on their own. Severe or worsening symptoms may require treatment in hospital.
If you are concerned about your symptoms, you should self-monitor and consult your healthcare provider. They may recommend steps you can take to relieve symptoms.
How long does it take for an infected person to show symptoms? How long is an infected person contagious?
Those who are infected with COVID-19 may have few to no symptoms. You may not know you have symptoms of COVID-19 because they are similar to a cold or flu.
Symptoms may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to COVID-19. While experts believe it is possible to spread the virus to others if someone is not showing symptoms, it is considered less common.
Can I continue my early morning walk for exercise in a shopping mall if I don’t touch anything?
While non-essential trips from your home are discouraged, no law prevents you from going for your walk. Your local mall - if it’s open - may not be the best place, however, as it’s recommended to keep two metres away from other people when you’re out and about.
That said, walking by someone with COVID-19 or being briefly in the same room as them is not considered contact.
What are the rules about travelling to another province and then self-isolating (or not) upon return?
All travellers returning from international destinations - including the United States - are subject to a mandatory self-isolation order.
Self-isolation is not mandatory following travelling within Canada, but the province recommends self-monitoring for symptoms.
Self-isolation means staying at home and avoiding situations where there is a potential to spread the infection to others.
Sources: Government of Saskatchewan, Government of Canada.