Suspect patients to be treated as Covid+

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Tuesday revised its home isolation guidelines in line with those of the Union health ministry to include those people who might clinically be presumed to have a mild case of Covid-19, as well as those with diagnosed mild or asymptomatic infection, in a move which will ensure that even those who do not test positive can get access to the state government’s home isolation protocol.

Patients in home isolation in the Capital receive a pulse oximeter, thermometer, regular calls from a state government doctor, and can also borrow oxygen concentrators from the state’s bank.

“Asymptomatic cases are laboratory confirmed cases not experiencing any symptoms and with oxygen saturation at room air over 94%. Clinically assigned mild cases are patients with upper respiratory tract symptoms (and /or fever) without shortness of breath and with oxygen saturation at room air of over 94%,” the Delhi government guidelines said.

The order, issued by additional director (public health-4) BS Charan, also directs all districts to ensure that pulse oximeters are available to Covid-19 patients, irrespective of whether they test positive or not.

“The districts are also directed to ensure that every Covid-19 patient who is home isolated has a pulse oximeter.” It also ordered the districts to maintain a record of the oximeters.

The order says that any medical officer treating a patient can determine if they may be presumed to have Covid-19. However, the guidelines do not specify how a suspect Covid patient must get in touch with the Delhi government.

Dr Lalit Kant, former head of the department of epidemiology at the Indian Council of Medical Research said, “Once people are infected, they will spread the infection to others even if they are not symptomatic. Including those with symptoms even without a test is essential to cut down transmission, especially at a time when we are trying hard to reduce the number of cases. I know of people who have stepped out despite testing positive, so without a test, mildly symptomatic people are likely to move around. These guidelines are to ensure they stay at home.”

The new Delhi government guidelines also no longer require that a state team inspect a patient’s house to ensure that adequate facilities for home isolation are in place, nor that a patient report their health status to the district surveillance officer every day. It also does not mandate downloading the government’s Aarogya Setu app.