BMC allows home isolation for asymptomatic

Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Saturday, allowed home isolation for asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients in an attempt to reduce patient load in dedicated hospitals.

The BMC issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in which it stated that any Covid-19 positive patient from non-slum areas, who is either asymptomatic or is having mild symptoms, is permitted for home isolation. However, the patient must be clinically assigned as an asymptomatic/mild/very mild case for Covid-19, the SOP said.

“A caregiver should be available for the patient to take care on a 24×7 basis and there must be a communication between the caregiver and the designated hospital. The patient must have to regularly upadate his health status to BMC for follow up,” an order from the BMC said.

However, the order provided a list of patients that would not be allowed for home quarantine despite mild or no symptoms. These included Covid positive patients suffering from immuno-compromised status like HIV, transplant recipients, cancer therapy. Moreover, persons above 60 years of age with co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease shall only be allowed for home-isolation after proper evaluation by treating doctor.

A Covid-19 positive patient during contact tracing will be asked about the health condition. After consent for home isolation, the nodal officer of home isolation management will send the zonal level rapid response team (RRT) for verification of the house and condition of the patient.

“Once the RRT is satisfied with the health condition and adequateness of the house, he/she will intimate the nodal officer about it and obtain the undertaking in a prescribed format from the patient and the caregiver of the patient. Other family members of the patient will also have to be kept in quarantine,” a senior BMC official said.

“The nodal officer will then submit the data to the quarantine monitoring call centre (1929) for regular follow up. The patient’s home isolation will be over as per the discharge policy of Health department. If a patient develops any serious symptoms during his home isolation, the caregiver should immediately inform 1929 and BMC medical nodal officer,” the officer added.