The Karnataka government is deliberating home isolation as opposed to hospitalisation for asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients of COVID-19. This development comes after the Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday held a meeting with Dr CN Manjunath, Karnataka nodal officer for testing of COVID-19, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner BH Anil Kumar, and other medical experts in public and private sector as well as senior administrative staff.
An official from the CM’s office told TNM, “Most of the experts opined that treating asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients in home isolation would be appropriate as it would lessen the burden on hospitals. They advised us to focus on treating people with serious symptoms and comorbidities at hospitals.”
The CM’s office also said that experts suggested that instead of hospitalisation, these low-risk patients should be treated with telemedicine. There should be effective usage of Tele ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and regular online training about treatment protocols, they said.
However, the Health Department will issue Standard Operating Procedures before issuing a circular or order to this effect, sources said.
Doctors at the meeting also emphasised on the need to increase the doubling rate of COVID-19 patients in the state, strict enforcement of precautionary measures in closed places where there is close contact, and in crowded areas.
It was also decided at the meeting that staff strength at field level must be enhanced for contact tracing and services of other departments may be used. Incidentally, the COVID-19 state bulletin issued on Tuesday said that all the nearly 500 COVID-19 patients reported that day in Bengaluru were “under contact tracing”.
Following the meeting, the Health Department was also instructed to arrange for an uninterrupted supply chain for oxygen as well as necessary drugs for effective treatment of COVID-19 patients.
The national capital of Delhi along with some other states have already started home isolation for asymptomatic patients.