Institutional Quarantine Of Covid-19 Patients Can Reduce Local Spread: Health Professionals

Healthcare professionals have hailed the Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s decision to put every Covid-19 patients into five-day institutional quarantine to contain the spread of infection. Before this, patients with no or mild symptoms were allowed to quarantine at home until they developed any complications.

“Five-day mandatory institutional quarantine shall go a long way in reducing the local spread of infection in homes, especially because a large number of households do not have space and capacity to carry out proper isolation of positive cases,” said Dr Parv Mittal, President of LNJP Resident Doctors’ Association, adding that the move shall reduce the transmission of infection from the cases under home quarantine to their family members.

Doctors say that lack of discipline among patients contributes to the spread as instead of staying at home, they come out and mingle with others.

“An asymptomatic Covid-19 carrier is a threat to the life of a patient with comorbidities. Unfortunately, these carriers don’t realise it and remain careless. There are many instances where patients go out and intermingle with others. It is a good decision to keep them under government-controlled quarantine homes,” Dr Alok Roy, Chair-FICCI Health Services Committee, said.

Healthcare professionals also find fault with the state government’s contentions that the LG’s order will lead to a shortage of bed as Delhi is already under huge pressure to admit and treat patients.

They say that patients with no or mild symptoms don’t need to be admitted in a hospital. They can be quarantined in stadiums, community halls and temple complexes by erecting temporary structures and a bed.

“They can stay in one place with social distancing. There is no scientific evidence that if asymptomatic or mild patients stay at one place, it will increase the virus load or aggravate the infection,” Dr Roy said.

Lawyer and activist Ashok Agarwal says that instead of running away from its responsibility, the state government should accept the challenge and create good quarantine facilities.

“Government hospitals have already earned severe criticism for not maintaining basic amenities and hygiene. I think it is time the state government comes up with good quarantine homes with good food and medical care so that people don’t feel scared when they are asked for institutional quarantine,” Agarwal said.