CHENNAI: Amid rising cases and people scrambling for oxygen and ICU beds, the Health Department on Monday released a G.O. on revised Covid treatment protocol for the next 14 days. The protocol was formulated to treat patients at all hospitals other than medical college hospitals, government hospitals and dedicated Covid hospitals. An expert committee held a meeting on Sunday and recommended the same.
According to the revised guidelines, people can be referred to Covid hospitals only if their saturation level falls below 90 and doesn’t improve even with oxygen support and medicines. Patients above the 90-level should be managed at Primary Health Centres and Covid Care Centres.
The guideline was issued to avoid crowding at medical college hospitals. In the protocol, the Health Department said, in any case, patients with saturation levels above 96, should not be admitted to hospitals.
The department also recommended Ivermectin, Paracetamol, Vitamin C, Zinc, and other drugs for patients with saturation above 96, but with symptoms of breathlessness, sore throat, myalgia, continuous fever, and loss of smell, among others. The G.O. added, patients maintaining saturation above 92 for three days can be discharged.