THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the number of active cases crossing 36,000 in the capital, the number of patients going into isolation and home care has increased exponentially, pointing to the need for a strengthened home-based Covid management.
The committees and task forces formed at the panchayat ward level to assist infected families had become defunct after the culmination of the second wave. According to experts, priority should be given to strengthening the home care system, especially putting in place external support for the patients to ensure all their requirements are met.
The authorities are yet to step up measures to sensitise the public on home care and the third wave. On Tuesday, 6,911 fresh cases were reported in the district taking the total number of active patients to 36,250. President of Federation of Residents Association Thiruvananthapuram M S Venugopal said the authorities should take immediate steps to reconstitute ward-level committees to assist Covid-affected families. “We need the same system we had when the second wave hit the peak. People are not scared of Covid anymore but they get scared once they test positive. People need reassurance and continuous awareness campaigns. Videos by health experts on home care would help. People don’t watch the news always. Social media campaigns should be launched,” said Venugopal.
Extreme care needed
Deputy superintendent of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital Santhosh Kumar S S said only less than 4% of patients need hospital care and, hence, priority should be given to strengthening the home care system.
“The pandemic would hit the peak and start dying down by February second week. Lakhs of people would be affected and a large majority of them would be going into isolation at their homes. The problem occurs when there is nobody without Covid at home. Social interventions are required. For people living in the city, food and water wouldn’t be a problem but, in rural areas, there is a requirement for external support,” said Santhosh Kumar.
He said steps should be taken to study the clusters and confirm that the current spread is caused by Omicron. Currently, the district has 41 active clusters, of which 27 are in schools and colleges.
“Random checking of samples in each cluster would help confirm the variants and this should be done continuously,” he added.
Healthcare workers affected
An official of the District Medical Office said steps have been taken to increase the number of CFLTCs. “We had only four CFLTCs. Now, we have increased the number. However, several healthcare workers are down with Covid. The situation is not different at private hospitals too. It’s a crisis and a large majority of the patients are being treated at home. Managing Covid and non-Covid diseases at the same time is becoming a problem at hospitals as the caseload is climbing everyday,” said the official.
ASHA workers have been deployed to collect the details of the patients under home care. “They keep track of the patients and those needing care would be identified and reported to the primary health centre. We have a centralised control room and the local bodies should make arrangements at the panchayat level to arrange ambulances for patients needing transportation,” said an official of the District Disaster Management Authority. The official said the number of patients needing oxygen support has come down.
How to protect others?
How to use the finger pulse oximeter?
The patient must rest by sitting for five minutes and use the finger pulse oximeter on any one of the fingers, preferably the index finger. If the oxygen saturation value is less than or equal to 94% or the pulse rate is more than 90 beats per minute while at rest, then inform the health authorities
Self-care practices at home
Symptoms to watch for during home care
Other red flags