Q- Who is eligible for home isolation?
- The person should be clinically assigned as a very mild case/ pre-symptomatic case by the treating medical officer.
- Such cases should have the requisite facility at their residence for self-isolation and also for quarantining the family contact.
- A caregiver should be available to provide care on a 24 x7 basis. A communication link between the caregiver and hospital is a prerequisite for the entire duration of home isolation.
- The caregiver and all close contacts of such cases should take Hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis as per protocol and as prescribed by the treating medical officer.
- Download Arogya Setu App on mobile (available at https://www.mygov.in/aarogya-setuapp/) and it should remain active at all times (through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi). Click here to know more about the Aarogya Setu app.
- The patient shall agree to monitor his health and regularly inform his health status to the District Surveillance Officer for further follow up by the surveillance teams.
Q- What are the instructions for the patient when in Home isolation?
- Patients should at all times use a triple-layer medical mask. Discard mask after 8 hours of use or earlier if they become wet or visibly soiled. Mask should be discarded only after disinfecting it with 1% Sodium Hypo-chlorite.
- Patients must stay in the identified room and away from other people at home, especially elderlies and those with co-morbid conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, etc.
- The patient must take rest and drink a lot of fluids to maintain adequate hydration
- Hands must be washed often with soap and water for at least 40 seconds.
- Don’t share personal items with other people.
- Clean surfaces in the room that are touched often (tabletops, doorknobs, handles, etc) with 1% hypochlorite solution.
- The patient must strictly follow the physician’s instructions and medication advice.
- The patient will self-monitor his/her health with daily temperature monitoring and report promptly if develops any deterioration of symptom as detailed below.
- For caregivers, please click here.
Please see the video on "Guidelines for Home Isolation of very mild/ pre-symptomatic COVID19 cases".
Q- When to seek medical attention?
Patients / Caregivers will keep monitoring their health. Immediate medical attention must be sought if serious signs or symptoms develop. These could include
- Difficulty in breathing,
- Persistent pain/pressure in the chest,
- Mental confusion or inability to arouse,
- Developing bluish discolorations of lips/face and
- As advised by treating medical officer
Q- When to discontinue home isolation?
Patients under home isolation will end home isolation after 17 days of onset of symptoms (or date of sampling, for pre-symptomatic cases) and no fever for 10 days. There is no need for testing after the home isolation period is over.
References