Pulse oximeters for all home isolated patients
GURUGRAM: To monitor the health of Covid-19 patients isolated at home, health department is planning to provide them with pulse oximeters on a returnable basis.
The department on Monday issued 200 such instruments to rapid response teams (RRT) engaged in contact tracing of Covid-19 patients. 2,000 oximeters will be distributed to patients at home across the city.
Health officials said monitoring through oximeters, which are being distributed for the first time, will help in early detection of patients whose oxygen saturation level becomes low as they develop sudden complications.
In association with the district administration, the department on Wednesday also started online counselling sessions for homeisolated patients.
The department carried out 1,225 rapid antigen tests in the city on Wednesday out of which 46 people tested positive for Covid -19, health officials said.
On Tuesday, the department carried out 1,074 rapid antigen tests in eight large outbreak areas (LORs) out of which 58 patients were found to be Covid-19 positive, according to data shared by health officials.
Rapid antigen testing starting in the city on June 23
“Our target is to conduct 2,000 rapid antigen tests daily to ensure maximum people are covered by July 14. We are in the process of procuring pulse oximeters and these would be distributed to patients isolated at their homes,” said Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, Gurugram.
The health department has formed seven teams for LORs and four teams for the rest of the city to conduct rapid antigen, RTPCR and sero tests in these areas.
Eight municipal wards in the city have been designated as LORs as the number of cases there have exceeded beyond 15, the district administration said.
Apart from testing and contact tracing, the administration has imposed restrictions on movement in these areas.
Yadav said 500 masks, Covid awareness booklets and other material have been given to each team which is constantly engaging with patients. “We will distribute immunity boosting medicine through Ayush in LORs in the coming days,” said Yadav.
As part of the online counselling, two doctors from the health department will hold two sessions daily from 11 am to 1 pm and 5 to 7 pm for patients isolated at home. These doctors will operate from the Gurugram mini-secretariat and provide counselling free of cost.
To motivate residents of large outbreak areas, the authorities have taken local social workers and councillors into confidence. “The decision to involve locals was taken after it was observed initially there was resistance among people to get tested,” said a government official.
A senior government official on the condition of anonymity also said the objective of the health outreach in containment zones and LORs was more focussed on voluntary participation and awareness rather than taking coercive measures, which would alienate the people. “Already, the lockdown has hit the morale and it would be better that this exercise is participatory,” he said.