Hi @vermie , based on current guidelines, it may not be necessary to go to TTSH (since your friend has no symptoms he is 1st ring of exposure, and you are in ring 2) unless you have severe features of flu (breathlessness, etc) based on your situation. 

Doing so may result in unnecessary waiting and time wastage on your end if they determine you are at low risk and turn you away. Instead, I would recommend a teleconsult or to visit your nearby GP clinic to determine if you have any severe features. 

Note that although the teleconsult from home option through platforms like DoctorWorld is more convenient, if you are found to have severe features, you may still need to visit your nearby GP clinic to be examined and for them to assess if you are truly at risk and in need of testing in TTSH. Hope this helps!

Hi @JimJammer88 thats a great question and Im sure many have it at the back of their minds! However, other than rest and hydration, there are no proven home measures that can help to reduce the risk of severe disease so far. Care takers need to remain vigilant about hygiene to reduce the risk of transmission, and wash their hands after contact with the patient or the patient’s surroundings, as well as before eating or touching their own face.
 
Presently most patients have mild disease, with severe disease mostly described in elderly and those with concomittant disease. If the patient is getting more unwell, bring them for a review with a medical professional as soon as possible. Early detection is key for appropriate management of the patient. 

Equipment that are required for the management of severe patients are only available in hospitals and require monitoring by a health professional for safe usage. Rest assured, our leaders are already taking steps to develop contingency plans to ensure that our hospitals can meet the needs of our population if the situation gets worse.

Hi @palmer , thank you for your question!

This is definitely one of the more recent debates regarding COVID. Unfortunately there isn't enough information available for us to definitively say that the infections in Beijing are a result of salmon imports. It is largely a possibility. As stated in the article, the virus itself was found on chopping boards in the market which, in all honesty, could have come from the population itself. Once more information is available then we can probably get a better idea of safety. 

The virus itself has not shown definitive cross species infection to fish thus far so I would say it is unlikely that it would spread from humans to fish and then back to humans. 

If you're really worried, then I would advise just to stay away from Salmon imported from Europe. 

Hope this helps!

Hi @demarcus thats an interesting question, and yes - infection/inflammation in the nasal passage can irritate the nerves in the area leading to activation of the sneezing reflex. Inflammation is mediated in part by the release of histamines, which can occur with mast cell activation. As you said, the histamine then triggers the release of other downstream inflammatory chemicals which together lead to vasodilation (increased blood flow) and immune/white blood cells in the blood stream being activated to the area.

If you're still curious to find out more about mast cells and histamine, heres a resource with more information:  
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2015.00620/full#:~:text=In%20the%20skin%2C%20antigens%2C%20via,this%20can%20lead%20to%20angioedema.