Kerala to implement home care isolation for COVID patients

Kerala will implement home care isolation according to ICMR guidelines on a trial basis, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. This will be initially for the Covid infected healthcare workers.

Addressing the media, the Chief Minister said, “Based on the ICMR’s guidelines and the recommendations of the expert committee, home care isolation will be implemented in Kerala for asymptomatic patients. Majority of the people infected by COVID have no symptoms and they do not require much treatment.

They are placed in CFLTCs to prevent the spread of the disease to others. These patients can be at home but must fully comply with isolation conditions. Home care isolation is being implemented on an experimental basis for healthcare workers. They are being selected initially because they are aware of the system. But at the same time, no one is being forced into home isolation. Interested healthcare workers will have to give an affidavit.

Home care isolation is allowed only for those without symptoms. Telephone monitoring, self-monitoring, symptom reporting and finger pulse oximetry records are important in home isolation. A three-tier monitoring system is being implemented. JPHN, Asha Worker and Volunteers will visit and evaluate them on certain days. There will also be supervision by expert doctors. They will be shifted to hospitals if required.

The Chief Minister said that home quarantine was a successful component of COVID defence measures. Staying alone in a toilet attached room at home was effective in preventing the spread of the disease to others. Similarly, home care isolation will be allowed only if such a room is available in the house.

“The state has a total of 25,536 beds ready in 176 institutions. This includes 8,715 beds in 29 Covid hospitals, 984 beds in 25 other government hospitals, 14,894 beds in 103 CFLTCs and 943 beds in 19 private hospitals. Therefore, there is no need for concern that treatment facilities will not be available if the number of patients increases,” he said.