Featured: How to take care of asymptomatic covid-19 patients from home, Government releases guidelines

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

1. Covid-19 laboratory report

The patient must have a covid-19 report from the laboratory

2. Asymptomatic

The patient in question must be asymptomatic or have a very mild form of the coronavirus disease.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Visitors

No visitor should be allowed to access the isolation room except for the caregiver.

7. PPEs and Thermometer

The patient must have access to personal protective equipment, PPEs and a thermometer to regularly check the temperature.

8. 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.

9. 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.