If COVID-19 is spreading in your area or community, you must take some simple precautions to stay safe, such as physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding crowds, cleaning your hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue. Do not compromise on any of the measures for your own good.
There are also specific guidelines for home isolation of patients diagnosed as mild or asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 positive patients. Please take note and inform others too:
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The patient should be isolated in a well-ventilated room
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Using a triple-layer medical mask is mandatory. It must be discarded after 8 hours of use or earlier if it gets wet or considerably soiled. Whenever a caregiver wants to enter the room, both should be wearing an N95 mask
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When discarding the mask, it should be disinfected with 1% Sodium Hypochlorite
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The patient should take enough rest, not exert himself and drink plenty of fluids to maintain adequate hydration
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Hand washing should be frequent with soap and water for at least 40 seconds, or else clean with an alcohol-based sanitiser
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Personal items or any items handled by the patient should not be shared with other people in the house
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Surfaces that are used or touched often should be cleaned with 1% hypochlorite solution (tabletops, doorknobs, handles etc.)
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The patient’s temperature and oxygen should be monitored daily
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A pulse oximeter should be used for monitoring oxygen saturation
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In case of any changes or worsening of symptoms, immediately contact the treating physician
Caregivers must follow similar instructions, according to the best hospital in Dubai. They must always wear an N95 mask when in the same room as the infected individual. Regular hand hygiene must be followed in case of contact with the infected individual or his surroundings. They should strictly avoid any kind of direct contact with the patient’s body fluids, especially oral and respiratory secretions.
Caregivers should use disposable gloves at all times while handling the patient and perform hand hygiene before and after removing gloves.
Reach out for immediate medical attention to General Medicine doctors for treatment and/or General Physicians for Multi-system medical cases in the following scenario:
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Difficulty in breathing
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Decrease in oxygen saturation (SpO2 < 94% on room air)
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Pain/pressure in the chest that’s persistent
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Mental confusion or inability to arouse
Source:
RevisedguidelinesforHomeIsolationofmildasymptomaticCOVID19cases.pdf
(mohfw.gov.in)
Advice for the public (who.int)