New Delhi: A large number of people showing no symptoms have tested for COVID-19. So the Union Health Ministry has revised home isolation guidelines. This has been done to include asymptomatic positive patients in the list of mild or pre-symptomatic coronavirus infection cases.
However, patients suffering from immune-compromised status (like HIV, transplant recipients, cancer therapy) are not eligible for home isolation. This point has also been mentioned in the revised guidelines.
Elderly patients aged more than 60 years will only be allowed home isolation after proper evaluation by the medical officer. The same rule will apply for those with co-morbid conditions. Among the conditions are hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and chronic lung/liver/kidney disease.
Patients under home isolation will stand discharged after 10 days of onset of symptoms. Also they should not have fever for three days, the guidelines stated. “Thereafter, the patient will be advised to isolate at home and self-monitor their health for further seven days. There is no need for testing after the home isolation period is over,” said the guidelines.
The guidelines come against India’s rising COVID-19 tally to 6,04,641 Thursday, with a single-day increase of 19,148 cases. From the five-lakh mark, India breached the six-lakh mark in just five days.
According to the guidelines, a caregiver should be available to provide care on 24×7 basis. A communication link between the caregiver and a hospital is a prerequisite for the entire duration of home isolation.
The guidelines reiterated that the caregiver and close contacts of such cases should take hydroxychloroquine as a preventive medication. Besides, it calls for downloading the Arogya Setu mobile application and that it should remain active at all times. Patients should monitor their health regularly. They will inform their health status to the district surveillance officer, who will facilitate follow up by the surveillance teams.
The patient also has to give an undertaking. It will state that after being diagnosed as a confirmed/suspect case of COVID-19, he/she hereby voluntarily undertake to maintain strict self-isolation at all times for the prescribed period, they said.
Immediate medical attention must be sought if serious signs or symptoms, including difficulty in breathing, dip in oxygen saturation, persistent pain/pressure in the chest, mental confusion or inability to arouse, slurred speech/seizures, weakness or numbness in any limb or face and developing bluish discolorations of lips/face, the guidelines stated.
All family members and close contacts shall be monitored and tested as per protocol by the field staff. These discharge guidelines shall be strictly adhered to along with issuance of a fitness certificate by the field team, they added.