Covid-19: Things to keep in mind when recovering in home isolation

"If one is in home isolation, then he/she is assigned as mild/asymptomatic case by the treating doctor," said Dr Aniket Mule, consultant internal medicine, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road

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In the last 24 hours, India has recorded 3,962 new cases as against 3,720 recorded yesterday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)’s latest Covid flash. At present, India’s active caseload stands at 36, 244 as against 40,177 on May 3, with active cases at 0.08 per cent as against 0.09 per cent on May 3. However, amid all these disheartening figures, there’s some good news: the recovery rate currently is at 98.73 per cent. The daily positivity rate stands at 2.17 per cent while the weekly positivity rate stands at 3.13 per cent.

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In view of the same, experts said that considering the mild nature of the current variant, home isolation is advised for infected individuals showing symptoms, or for those in close contact with individuals showing symptoms. “When in home isolation, a patient is assigned as mild/asymptomatic case by the treating doctor. In such a scenario, however, the caregiver of the patient should be fully vaccinated to minimise the risk of covid infection,” Dr Aniket Mule, consultant internal medicine, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road, told indianexpress.com.

Concurring, Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, director and head, pulmonology, Fortis Hospitals, Faridabad said that going by the nature of the variant, there is no specific treatment. “But the supportive measures remain the same — a high protein and antioxidant-rich diet, along with proper hydration at home,” said Dr Jha.

According to Dr Mule, during home isolation, the patient should monitor his/her SPO2 levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels as suggested by the doctor. “They should also monitor their fever and pulse rate. Further, the utensils and personal care items used by the patient should not be shared by anyone. The patient should ensure that they are isolating in a properly ventilated room. The caregiver should see to it that the patient eats a nutritious diet and takes prescribed medication. Self-medication is a strict no-no. It will be imperative for the patient to stay in touch with the treating doctor via phone or video call,” said Dr Mule.

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Eat healthy to recover (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

Dr Niranjan Patil, AVP and Scientific Business Head, Clinical Microbiology, Infectious molecular biology, and Covid-19 Head of Department, Metropolis Healthcare Limited listed some measures for people under isolation:

*If symptomatic, wear good quality masks, avoid visiting crowded places, avoid going to workplace, self-isolate in a well-ventilated room, and consider video consultation with a qualified medical practitioner.
*For non-infected individuals, practice social distancing, hand washing, and wearing face masks in crowded areas such as markets, bus stands, train stations, airports, congregations, weddings, weekly bazaars, banks, offices, and colleges, among others.
*Pregnant women and those with comorbidities such as the elderly individuals (over 65 years old), diabetes, underlying chronic kidney disease, dialysis patients, cancer patients, immunosuppressive patients, and so on, should exercise special caution.
*Seek medical attention if you experience any of the symptoms like fever, cold, cough, scratchy throat, body ache.
*Consume foods that are likely to improve immunity, such as fresh fruits and a nutritious diet.

Also Read | Amid surge in Covid-19 cases, here’s what people with co-morbidities must keep in mind

Stressing that one should restrict his/her movement within the house, Dr Shrey Srivastav, MD (Internal Medicine), Sharda Hospital added that it is important to disinfect frequently.

*Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces in the quarantined person’s room (e.g. bed frames, tables etc.)
*Clean and disinfect toilet surfaces daily with regular household bleach solution/phenolic disinfectants
*Clean the clothes and other linen used by the person separately using common household detergent and dry.
*Wash hands as often thoroughly with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

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In its January 2023 advisory, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated that Covid patients can end home isolation seven days after testing positive if they don’t get a fever for three successive days.

Meanwhile, Dr Patil said that for public health authorities, increased testing, treating early, tracing contacts, isolation of infected individuals, ensuring covid preparedness of the healthcare settings, adequate medicine and supplies including oxygen cylinders, covid ICUs is recommended. “Use of molecular surveillance (in which whole genome sequencing is performed on positive samples from infected individuals to identify the exact Covid-19 variant) to identify outbreaks whether due to same strain or new strain, track and monitor the virus spread and implement control measures, are other stringent measures,” Dr Patil said.

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