Remdesivir drug not for home use: AIIMS doctor

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Covid-19 patients on home care should not take Remdesivir medication and they should get admitted at a hospital if the oxygen level drops below 94, AIIMS doctors advised on Saturday.

The doctors were addressing a webinar on ‘Medication and Care in Home Isolation’ for Covid19 patients.

“Remdesivir should never be taken at home. Positive attitude and regular exercise are a must for patients in home isolation, said Dr Neeraj Nishchal of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Dr Manish, also from AIIMS, said if the oxygen level goes below 94, patients should be admitted, adding that while checking oxygen level, age of the patient and other chronic diseases should be kept in mind.

Dr Neeraj, however, said that 80 per cent of infected patients experience very mild symptoms and suggested a repeat RT-PCR rest if the first test report comes negative.

“If the RT-PCR test comes out to be negative, but symptoms are present, it is recommended to go for another test. Whether hospitalization is required is to be decided based on the intensity of the disease, he said.

The doctors also advised that medications must be taken in the proper quantity and at the right time.

“Knowing about the medicine is not enough. Patients should also know how and when they are to be taken, only then would it prove to be beneficial, said Dr Neeraj.

The decision of home isolation for patients above 60 years and with comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic ailments related to kidneys and lungs, should be taken only after consulting doctors, they said.

The commonly observed symptoms among Covid19 patients are fever, dry cough, tiredness and loss of taste or smell. Irritation in throat, headache, body ache, diarrhoea, rash on skin and redness in eyes are also observed in rare cases.

If you observe any of these symptoms, you should immediately isolate yourself from others, Dr Neeraj said.

Suggesting measures

Covid-19 patients need to take to manage the infection, the doctors said sanitisation, cleanliness, use of medical grade masks and taking medicines on time are essential.