Currently, all suspected and confirmed cases of Covid-19 are isolated in hospitals and managed there intending to break the chain of transmission.
New Delhi| The Union Health Ministry has issued a guideline in regards to allowing Covid-19 patients with mild or pre-symptoms of the infection to isolate at home. According to the advisory, the patient can stay at home but will have to be in constant touch with District Surveillance Officer and hospital. The patient will also have to sign an undertaking.
The new additions were made to existing guidelines on appropriate management of suspect/confirmed cases of Covid-19 issued by the Health Ministry on April 7.
Currently, all suspected and confirmed cases of Covid-19 are isolated in hospitals managed there intending to break the chain of transmission. According to existing guidelines, the patient should be assigned clinically as very mild/mild, moderate or severe, and accordingly admitted to (i) Covid Care Centre, (ii) Dedicated Covid Help Centre or (iii) Dedicated Covid Hospital respectively.
The guidelines said, “However, very mild/presymptomatic patients having the requisite facility at his/her residence for self-isolation will have the option for home isolation.”
The criteria for a patient to be allowed to self isolate at home is that the patient should be clinically assigned as a very mild case/pre-symptomatic case by a medical officer. Such homes should have the requisite facility to isolate the patient as well as quarantine the family members.
There should be a caregiver available 24*7 and should be in contact with hospital for the entire duration of isolation. Hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis should be taken by the caregiver and other close contacts as per protocol and as prescribed by the treating medical officer.
The patient in such cases is expected to monitor his/her own health and inform the District Surveillance Officer about his/her health status regularly.
The patient will have to sign an undertaking for home isolation and shall follow the home quarantine guidelines.
On the issue of when the isolation should end, the guidelines state that the patient can discontinue the isolation if the symptoms are clinically resolved or the surveillance team declares him infection-free after laboratory testing.
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