Professor Peter Collignon

I mean, basically, you need to keep away from others because you don't want to give it to others as much as you can.

Work from home.

Don't go to work if you're sick.

If you're not sick, avoid anybody who's sneezing and everything else.

You're most infectious for the first few days you have it.

So even if you have a cough a week later, yes, you can go out and socialise and do things, but still keep away from people who've got a cough, but, you know, live life reasonably.

Have a reasonable amount of fluids, stay warm, stay comfortable, keep your nutrition up, all those things, people get better.

Obviously, you can take Panadol or aspirin if you've got a headache or a fever, that'll make you feel a bit better.

You've got the main complication we've got to worry about is if you get pneumonia.

Now, if you get pneumonia, your breathing starts going faster, you may have a pain in your chest from pleurisy, that's when you need to go and see a doctor because that's when you may need antibiotics.

Antibiotics do nothing against viruses, but if you get the secondary complication of pneumonia, you do need antibiotics.

So if you're getting particularly unwell and particularly there's a change in your breathing,

your pain, et cetera, or everybody says, hey, you're looking much worse after looking a bit better, that's when you need to seek medical help because that's when you may need antibiotics.

But to put it in perspective, that's less than a few percent of people who actually have influenza or any other viral infection.

So mainly rest, take care of yourself, avoid others, and you'll get better.

Well, I think if you use garlic or onions, you probably protect others because they'll keep away from you.

Dr. Peter, thank you so much for joining us on The Briefing.

Okay.