Hyderabad: Home isolation kits helping fight Covid

Hyderabad: As part of its fight against Covid pandemic, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has begun providing home isolation kits for the patients who have been home quarantined.

The kits are proving to be a boon for those underprivileged who couldn't afford the items necessary during quarantine. On an average, for every 5,000 Covid tests, around 1,000 positive cases are being diagnosed, for whom the home isolation kits are being provided free of cost.

"We are conducting rapid antigen testing by visiting door-to-door and if anyone is found corona virus positive, he or she is urged to be home quarantined and is provided with home isolation kits. Also, we are keeping a regular track of his activities through regular phone calls," said K Venkatramana, Medical Health Officer, Kukatpally.

"Each day, for every 50 average rapid antigen testings in a colony, we are observing at least 10 positive cases within 5,000 mts of radius. As the tests are being conducted with rapid track, we are receiving more number of number positive cases," he added.

"I had tested positive for Covid-19 during the rapid antigen test with mild symptoms for Coronavirus. I was asked to get home isolated by the doctors, but I was completely

clueless about the measures to follow during quarantine or when in isolation at home.

GHMC officials visited my place and arranged a little isolation zone in the bedroom and also gave me a kit consisting of all basic items like masks for the entire family, two pair of gloves, sanitisers, liquid hand wash, sodium hypocholorite solution, three different kinds of vitamin tablets ( B Complex, Vitamin C and Zinc) which were sufficient for the quarantine days," said Kota Mounica, a bank employee residing in Moosapet.

Expressing satisfaction, another Coronavirus patient said, "If GHMC had not provided home isolation kit, we would have been forced to spend around at least Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 and most of the patients who are living in slums couldn't have afforded money on these protective measures for the 15 days," said K Shalini, a resident of Karmikanagar.