In home quarantine? Must report high fever, pulse rate

LUCKNOW: Living in home quarantine after being confirmed as having Covid-19? Be alert towards the markers that require you to consult a doctor or approach a Covid hospital in time. As a number of Covid deaths in the city were of patients reaching the hospital too late, TOI finds out from KGMU’s Covid hospital in charge the markers to stay attentive to.
“A major problem is that Covid-19 patients under home quarantine are sometimes not able to gauge the level of their disease’s severity,” said KGMU Covid hospital in charge Dr Avinash Agarwal.
This, he said, leads to error in judgment on the part of patients and their attendants, costing their lives.
“A few parameters become pertinent then. If a person has constant fever at or above 100 degree Farenheit, even with oxygen rate not below 94%, the patient should seek medical help immediately,” said Dr Agarwal.
He added, “It is also important to concentrate on the pulse rate. In normal circumstances, the pulse rate is not at a 100. But for Covid-19 patients at home, if that is the case for a couple of days—pulse rate at or above 100—a doctor should be consulted.”
WHO in its patient safety manual on use of pulse oximeters also enlists the factors that may prevent accurate recording.
It states that nail polish or pigmentation on finger as is in the case of henna application, bright light like the sun interfering with light of the equipment and patient movement can affect the readings. These factors should be eliminated before a patient records the vitals at home.
“In case the patient has comorbid conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), diabetes, cancer, autoimmune diseases, etc, the presence of mild symptoms should be immediately reported to the chief medical officer’s office or consulting doctor,” added Dr Agarwal.