BHUBANESWAR: With the existing Covid-19 healthcare infrastructure proving inadequate for the fast increasing cases, the State Government on Monday decided to allow home isolation of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients. Announcing the decision, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy said home isolation will only be applicable in urban areas including 114 urban local bodies, district headquarters, sub-divisional towns and block headquarters in the first phase with compliance to certain health protocols. He said mild cases don’t require critical care facility and this decision will also help in effective utilisation of critical resources like hospitals.
“Our survey has shown that patients who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms often feel distressed to be treated at hospitals. Since family members will insist on the patient to adhere to hygiene and other protocols, the patient’s recovery will be faster,” Tripathy said. As per the fresh guidelines issued for home isolation, Tripathy said an undertaking will be obtained from such persons that they will follow all guidelines and mandatorily report their health condition to appropriate authority on a daily basis. They will be under active surveillance of S t a t e h e a l t h authorities. For home isolation, he said, there has to be an adult caregiver who will be the bridge between the Government and the family.
In case of violation of protocols, permission of home isolation will be withdrawn and the patient will be shifted to a Government facility. The decision for home isolation was taken following requests from many organisations and institutions with resources and adequate facility for institutional isolation of their members with mild and asymptomatic Covid-19 cases. He said the Covid-19 management strategy needed to be calibrated as the situation is evolving amid rising cases. Municipal corporations, airports, ECoR, ports, public sector undertakings, Central Armed Police Force, National Disaster Response Force, Odisha Police, Fire Services, central institutes, deemed vCrsities, religious institutions, resident welfare associations and NGOs with adequate health care facilities will be allowed to keep their own members, employees and workers with Covid-19 infection in isolation.
The Covid-19 isolation facilities developed by the State Government will be primarily used for those suspected/ positive cases who do not have the facility for home isolation or could not be accommodated in the Covid care centres, he added. The Chief Secretary, however, said Covid-19 situation in Odisha is better, as compared to the national fatality rate of 2.66 per cent, the State’s fatality rate is 0.48.