Visakhapatnam: Home isolation, an alternative for Covid-19 patients

Visakhapatnam: Keeping the growing number of coronavirus positive cases in view, the district administration officials are planning to provide an option of home isolation for Covid-19 patients.

Those who have been tested positive for coronavirus are being sent to dedicated Covid-19 hospitals for treatment. And the patient's primary and secondary contacts are being traced and sent to the quarantine facility.

But with Covid-19 already crossing the 400-mark in Visakhapatnam, the district officials are considering various means to contain the spread of the virus and home isolation is one of the options. Since such a measure is already followed in the US, there is a possibility of implementing it in Visakhapatnam as well.

Explaining further, District Collector V Vinay Chand said institutional isolation will be facilitated to the 60-year-old patients and those with comorbidities, high risk patients who need ventilator support and the ones who have space constraints at home, the rest would be given the option of home isolation.

At present, 20 hospitals with 5,500 beds are available to treat Covid-19 patients. "If the number of positive cases exceeds the current capacity, home isolation is one of the alternatives being considered," says P V Sudhakar, Covid Special Officer and Principal of Andhra Medical College.

Laying emphasis on individual responsibility, Dr Sudhakar says that social distancing and other safety protocols cannot be ignored at any cost. He says that apart from measures taken by the government to curb the pandemic, the onus also lies on every individual despite the relaxation.

In addition, Indian Railways has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to convert its non-air conditioned coaches into isolation wards as a part of the contingency measure.

With facilities such as bubble wrap films, heat reflective paint, water mist systems, among other features, the initiative was taken by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and NITI Ayog.

However, the states will utilise them when the rest of the facilities get exhausted. Currently, more than 5,000 coaches have been readied for the contingency purpose.