Cases inch towards 800, 200 put in home isolation

GURUGRAM: Continuing on the sharp upward spiral, Gurugram reported 97 more Covid-19 cases on Sunday, shooting past the 700-mark with 774 cases. And in keeping with Union health ministry guidelines, Gurugram has placed more than 200 Covid-19 patients with mild or no symptoms in home isolation and set aside 424 hotel rooms to move asymptomatic patients into. The city has 497 active cases, of which about 80% are mild or asymptomatic.
“We have more than 200 asymptomatic patients in home isolation. We have also started isolation facilities in hotels, where we will move patients in soon. We have a dedicated team of doctors and health workers who are monitoring the patients in home isolation every day,” said district epidemiologist Dr Ram Prakash Rai. The plan takes significant pressure off of Gurgaon’s hospitals, which can have resources at hand should the number of serious cases rise.
On May 10, the Centre had announced a shift in strategy and allowed patients with mild or no symptoms to stay in home isolation if they had the necessary space and facilities. Delhi, with the second highest case load in the country, had started letting eligible patients stay on at home earlier this month. Gurgaon, Dr Rai said, is following the health ministry guidelines for enforcing isolation rules.
The treating medical officer will first clinically assign a medical status to the case — very mild, moderate or severe. A patient whose symptoms are very mild (or none) can stay home. “Such cases should have the requisite facility at their residence for self-isolation and for quarantining family contacts,” the guidelines state.
“The patient must stay in one room, alone, and family members with comorbid conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease and renal disease should not be around. The patient must wear a triple-layer medical mask at all times and discard it after eight hours of use,” Dr Rai said. “We are encouraging more people to stay in home isolation.” The patient will be monitored by the health department every day. A caregiver should be available round the clock.
Health officials said those in home isolation are asked to download the Aarogya Setu app. “We are monitoring them and their neighbouring areas through the app,” a health official said. Patients in home isolation can move freely after 17 days of onset of symptoms if they don’t have fever for 10 days.