With more and more people presenting with COVID-19 like symptoms and experts laying stress on prescribed medication and close monitoring at home if symptoms are mild to reduce the burden on our already overstretched health care infrastructure, the focus is now on home management.
What are the rules then that need to be followed is the big question on everyone’s minds. NewsMobile spoke to experts to get you a comprehensive home management guide for patients with mild COVID-19 who have upper respiratory tract symptoms (and/or fever) without shortness of breath or hypoxia.
Home Isolation
- Adhere to contact and droplet precautions
- Maintain complete isolation from others in the house
- Maintain Strict hand hygiene
- Stay in contact with treating physician
Seek Immediate Medical Attention In Case
- There is difficulty in breathing
- High grade fever or severe cough
- Oxygen saturation level dips below 94 per cent
- Coughing up blood
- Bluish lips or face
- Pain or pressure in chest
COVID: When to go to Hospital?
If pulse ox drops below 92%
Or
High fevers, blue lips, chest pain, limb weakness
Risk is highest if you’re: age >65, diabetic, HTN, obese AND sick like below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/m5Pe669eDy
— Faheem Younus, MD (@FaheemYounus) April 19, 2021
Round The Clock Monitoring Must For High-Risk Patients
- Advanced age above 60 years
- Those with cardiovascular disease, hypertension and Diabetes
- Those suffering from chronic ling, kidney or liver disease
- Those suffering from cerebrovascular disease
- Those suffering from obesity
When Should You Seek Hospital Care
- If the oxygen saturation level falls below 94 per cent
- If the Respiratory rate is greater than or equal to 24
WHO’s Advice For Caregivers At Home
- Household members and individuals with probable or confirmed COVID-19 should receive support from trained health workers
- Limit the patient’s movement around the house and minimize shared space. Ensure that shared spaces (e.g. kitchen, bathroom) are well ventilated
- Household members should avoid entering the room where the patient is located or, if that is not possible, maintain a distance of at least 1m from the patient
- A medical mask should be provided to the patient, worn as much as possible by the patient and changed daily and whenever wet or dirty from secretions. Individuals who should practice rigorous respiratory hygiene; that is, coughing or sneezing into a bent
elbow or tissue and then immediately disposing of the tissue followed by hand hygiene
• Materials used to cover the mouth and nose should be discarded or cleaned appropriately after use (e.g. wash handkerchiefs, using regular soap or detergent
and water)
• Caregivers should wear a medical mask that covers their mouth and nose when they are in the same room as the patient. Masks should not be touched or handled during
use. If the mask gets wet or dirty from secretions, it must be replaced immediately with a new clean, dry mask
• Avoid direct contact with the patient’s body fluids, particularly oral or respiratory secretions, and stool. Use disposable gloves and a mask when providing oral or respiratory care, and when handling stool, urine and other waste. Perform hand hygiene before putting on the mask and gloves and after removing gloves and the mask
• Do not reuse medical masks or gloves (unless the gloves are a reusable product such as a utility glove)
• Gloves and protective clothing (e.g. plastic aprons) should be used when cleaning surfaces or handling clothing or linen soiled with body fluids. Depending on the context, wear either utility or single-use gloves
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched in the room where the patient is being cared for, such as bedside tables, bedframes, and other bedroom furniture at least once daily. Clean and disinfect bathroom and toilet surfaces at least once daily. Regular household soap or detergent should be used first for cleaning, and then, after rinsing, regular household disinfectant containing 0.1% sodium hypochlorite (i.e. equivalent to 1000 ppm) should be applied by wiping surfaces
• Use dedicated linen and eating utensils for the patient; these items should be cleaned with soap and water after use and may be re-used instead of being discarded
• Place contaminated linen in a laundry bag. Do not shake soiled laundry and avoid contaminated materials coming into contact with skin and clothes
• Clean the patient’s clothes, bed linen, and bath and hand towels using regular laundry soap and water, or machine wash at 60–90 °C (140–194 °F) with common household detergent, and dry thoroughly
• After use, utility gloves should be cleaned with soap and water and decontaminated with 0.1% sodium hypochlorite solution. Single-use gloves (e.g. nitrile or latex) should be discarded after each use. Perform hand hygiene before putting on and after removing
gloves
• Waste generated at home while caring for a COVID19 patient during the recovery period should be packed in strong bags and closed completely before disposal and eventual collection by municipal waste services. If such a service does not exist, waste may be buried. Burning is the least preferred option, as it is bad for human health and the environment
• Avoid other types of exposure to contaminated items from the patient’s immediate environment (e.g. do not share toothbrushes, cigarettes, cutlery, crockery, towels, washcloths or bed linen)