People With Mild Symptoms Of Corona Can Opt For Home Isolation: Health Ministry

New Delhi: The Ministry of Health & Family Affairs (MoHFW) said coronavirus patients with mild symptoms or those who are asymptomatic can opt for home quarantine if they have the requisite facility for self-isolation.

According to the new guidelines released by the ministry on Monday, the person in home quarantine shall be looked after by a caregiver 24×7. The caregiver would give regular health updates to the district surveillance officer for further follow up by surveillance teams.

Besides, the caregiver and the patient’s family members need to have  hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis (a preventive medication) as prescribed by the treating medical officer.

The eligibility criteria for home-isolation also include downloading the Aarogya Setu app (a contact-tracing app by the government) which needs to be active all the time (through Wifi and Bluetooth).

If the patient develops any severe symptoms like difficulty in breathing, complains of chest pain, develops bluish discoloration of lips/face or medical confusion, he/she must be immediately taken for medical assistance, said the guidelines.

However, home isolation can be discontinued only after the surveillance officer certifies the patient to be free of infection after laboratory testing.

The guidelines on home-quarantine are available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/Guidelinesforhomequarantine.pdf