Featured: How to take care of asymptomatic covid-19 patients from home, Government releases guidelines
On Sunday, the Kenyan government released guidelines to be followed by Covid-19 patients to maintain safe home-based care.
This move comes to the rescue of the overstretched health care system in the country with Mbagathi and Kenyatta national hospital almost full.
ASYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS
MOH Acting Director-General Dr. Patrick Amoth announced that hospitals will be discharging asymptomatic patients so that they may recuperate from home through a safe home-based care system.
COVID- 19 HOME-BASED CARE GUIDELINES; FULL LIST
- Covid-19 laboratory report
The patient must have a covid-19 report from the laboratory
- Asymptomatic
The patient in question must be asymptomatic or have a very mild form of the coronavirus disease.
- Pre-existing medical conditions
The patient must not have any pre-existing medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic chest problem, etc. that may put his or her life at risk.
- Separate space
Fourthly, the patient must have ample space, separate from the rest of the family to be used during isolation.
Besides, the isolation room should be well-ventilated to reduce the risk of further spread.
- Infection control
The patient together with his or her caregiver must strictly observe infection control prevention measures such as washing hands regularly, use of sanitizers, wearing face masks among others.
- Visitors
No visitor should be allowed to access the isolation room except for the caregiver.
- PPEs and Thermometer
The patient must have access to personal protective equipment, PPEs and a thermometer to regularly check the temperature.
- Referral plan
The patient must have a referral plan- a facility that is easily accessible where he or she can be quickly referred to in case their condition deteriorates.
- Waste disposal
The patients should dispose of their waste properly and separate cutlery to limit the spread of the virus to the rest of the members.
The home-based care system which will soon be rolled out by the government has been endorsed by the World Health Organization, WHO to ease congestion in hospitals.
