Karnataka govt issues revised guidelines for home isolation of COVID-19 patients

Bengaluru: COVID-19 patients under home isolation will stand discharged after 10 days of symptom onset or date of sampling, and no fever for three days, as per the revised guidelines for home care issued by the government of Karnataka.

Thereafter, the patient shall be advised to isolate at home and self-monitor their health for further 7 days, it said adding there is no need for testing after the isolation period is over.

The state government in a circular on Monday said, in view of the evolving situation of COVID-19 in the state and recent revision of guidelines from the Government of India, the revised guidelines for home isolation of COVID-19 cases are issued.

According to the guidelines, only those who are asymptomatic or mild symptomatic shall be allowed to be in home care. Health team from district health authority or authorised private institution or agency shall visit the house and assess the suitability of house for home isolation and also do medical triage of the person, it said, alternatively, telephonic medical triage shall be done through an empanelled agency.

Dedicated tele-monitoring link shall be established for daily follow-up of the person during the entire period of home isolation or home care, it added. Noting that the person shall be clinically assigned as asymptomatic or mild case through telephonic triage or by the health staff, medical officer, the guideline said, such cases should have the requisite facility at their residence for self-isolation and for quarantining the family contacts.

A caregiver should be available to provide care on a 24 X 7 basis, and a regular communication link between the caregiver and hospital is a pre-requisite for the entire duration of home isolation, it added. Elderly patients aged more than 60 years and those with co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung, liver, kidney disease etc shall be allowed home isolation only after proper clinical evaluation.

It further said home isolation shall not be applicable for pregnant women 2 weeks before the expected date of delivery (EDD), however it shall be allowed for lactating mothers after clinical evaluation by a medical officer or family doctor.

On the management of waste for those under home isolation, it said the used facemasks, gloves, toiletries or swabs contaminated with blood or body fluids of COVID-19 patients, including used syringes, if any generated should be treated as biomedical waste and collected in separate yellow bag. These yellow bags should be handed over to authorized waste collectors or deposited at designated deposition centres.

Masks and gloves used by caregivers and other family members shall be kept in a paper bag for a minimum of 72 hours prior to its disposal as general waste after cutting the same to prevent reuse, it added.