Managing Your Health

Managing your health during COVID-19

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Are you at risk?
Everyone is at risk for getting COVID-19 if they come into contact with the virus. Some people are more likely than others to get very sick. As you get older, your risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases.

People of any age with certain underlying medical conditions also have more risk for getting very sick from COVID-19. These conditions include:

• Asthma
• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Download Diabetes
• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system)
• Obesity
• Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies

Steps to keep healthy

• Visit your clinic for wellness checks. Do not miss scheduled appointments and contact your clinic if you notice any changes to your health. Talk to a doctor or other health care provider to see if you can set up your medical visit on the phone or online. Keeping up with regular appointments now could prevent a visit to the emergency room later.
• Be active and eat a healthy diet. Do your best to eat healthy meals, like those rich in fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains.
• Check in on how you are doing emotionally. It is natural to feel stressed or anxious, but it is important to take care of both your body and mind. Find ways to stay physically active and reduce stress.
• Know your numbers. If you have a chronic condition, be extra careful about monitoring your personal health numbers, such as blood sugar, blood pressure, or cholesterol.
• Do not skip a dose or change your medications or treatment without first talking to a health care provider. Talk to your health care provider, insurer, and pharmacist about having an emergency supply of prescription medications on hand.
• Get your flu vaccine. The flu vaccine can help protect you from getting the flu. It is possible to get flu and COVID-19 at the same time, but we do not know yet how often that could happen. That is why it is important to take steps to prevent both diseases.
• Cut back on smoking or vaping. Smoking can make it more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, and can cause lung damage. Visit Quit Partner (https://quitpartnermn.com) for free phone or online coaching to help you quit.
• Get tested for COVID-19 and wear a mask. Visit COVID-19 Testing (https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/testsites/index.html) for testing options

If you start to feel sick

• Stay home while you are ill.
• Contact your clinic if you have any symptoms.
• Continue to stay 6 feet away from others, wash or sanitize hands, and choose lower risk activities.

For more information on COVID-19 and chronic disease, please visit the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) webpages below. Managing Chronic Conditions during COVID-19: (https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/conditions/index.html)

Resources
Healthy Eating during the COVID-19 Pandemic: (https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/healthyeating/covid19.html)
Staying Active during the COVID-19 Pandemic: (https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/physicalactivity/covid19.html)