Hello, and welcome to Living in the Lehigh Valley Where our focus is your health and wellness.

I'm your host, Brittany Sweeney.

The Omicron variant has moved us into a new phase of the coronavirus pandemic.

Chief advisor to the White House, Dr Anthony Fauci, has said just about everybody will eventually get the disease.

But even if you haven't, there are things you can do now to prepare for when someone in your household gets sick.

Coronavirus protocols are in place at schools, grocery stores and businesses.

- My kids are all masked at school, which I greatly appreciate, them being masked at school.

I'm masked at work at all times.

- Taking precautions seem to have kept Emmaus mom Katherine Kressler and her family Covid-free to this point.

- We have not had Covid in our family yet, so we're very thankful for that.

- But this latest variant has many feeling like it's not if but when they will become infected.

- We're just trying to be masked and keeping fluids in the house for just a normal cold, and hopefully that's going to be what it will be when it hits us, if it does.

- This variant is spreading rapidly.

Everybody is getting a form of it or another.

A lot of people don't even know they're walking around with it at this point because it's not as severe as the last one.

- Pharmacist Robert Kimmey from Emmaus Drug Store says rapid tests have been flying off the shelves and are good to have on hand, but there are also a few other supplies to prepare for a positive test.

- You want to make sure you have plenty of food.

You don't want to have to run out to the store and worry about groceries and your medications.

Tissues, keep them in plenty if you're starting to feel bad.

Basic over-the-counter stuff, you want to have like a thermometer just to keep an eye on your temperature.

You want to have maybe a humidifier if you're having issues breathing to help with congestion.

You also want to have maybe a pulse ox if you do have breathing problems.

This way, you can make sure your breathing is still OK. - When the pandemic first began, sniffling and sneezing were signs that you didn't have Covid-19.

But just as the variants have changed, so have the symptoms.

Kimmey says Omicron, for some, can feel like a common cold.

- We recommend Tylenol because not everyone can take ibuprofen.

You have to speak to your doctor if you're allowed to.

Tylenol helps with the fever, so if you're having the chills and you have a slight fever, that's something to help with.

- So what are some of the things you have on hand here in the store?

- So, some of the things we have that can help for Covid, we do have gloves, face masks.

We do have a stock of pulse ox.

As you go down, we also carry some Pedialyte and stuff for children.

We have all your cough syrups like NyQuil and the Robitussins and a lot of the pills and decongestants.

- The pharmacist says cough and congestion medications can help, too.

- One of the things we've been seeing is a lot of people get dehydrated because they're sick and they have the high fever.

I recommend Pedialyte or Gatorade.

Definitely keep your electrolytes up.

- Not only is it a good idea to have some over-the-counter meds on hand, but Kimmey says disinfecting your home is another way to stop the spread.

- We also carry products like cleaning agents and disinfectants to help keep your home and office safe.

We also carry tissues and other different cleaning supplies.

If you live with other people, you want to minimize their contact.

You know, think about wearing a mask in the house, keep yourself separated from other people.

This way, you can hopefully prevent them from getting sick.

If you know someone that has other pre-existing health conditions, you want to make sure you take the precautions to make sure they're safe, also.

- He says checking in on those who are sick is important, as well.

- Some people get this virus and they feel so sick it's hard to even get out of bed.

You want to do the best you can to keep it.

If you have loved ones around, make sure they're keeping an eye on you.

- Stocking up now to ease the pain later, if or when you come down with Covid.

- Just make sure you have enough supply available so you don't have to run out.

This way, you can protect the other people out there.

You don't want to be the one to spread it to somebody that can't recover from it.

- Quarantine guidelines are available on the CDC's website for those who have been exposed or test positive for the coronavirus.

And free Covid test are now available through the federal government's website.

That's COVIDTESTS.gov.

That will do it for this edition of Living In The Lehigh Valley.

I'm Brittany Sweeney, hoping you stay happy and healthy.