Asymptomatic COVID 19 positive patients will be allowed to be in isolation at their residence in Thanjavur district, subject to fulfilment of certain conditions.
Disclosing this to reporters here on Friday, Collector M. Govinda Rao said 1,500 persons had tested positive for COVID-19 infection in the district so far and nearly half the number had been discharged. Hitherto, those who were diagnosed to be asymptomatic were moved to the COVID-19 care centres at Thanjavur, Vallam and Pattukottai to remain in isolation till they were cured and patients who required extra medical care were admitted to the special wards.
Hereafter, asymptomatic patients would be allowed to remain in isolation at home, provided they had a separate room and restroom facility for their use during the 14 to 21 days of isolation. Further, those houses should also contain facilities required for quarantine of the family contacts of the person seeking to remain in home isolation.
However, if those opting for home isolation suffer from immunity compromised status due to prolonged diseases or a transplant recipient or aged above 60 years or with co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung/liver/kidney or cerebro-vascular diseases, their request for home isolation will not be entertained.
The request for home isolation would be granted based on the inspection report to be presented by a team of health and revenue officials, the Collector said.
Stating that all out efforts were being made to reduce the percentage of mortality caused due to COVID-19 virus infection from the present 0.8%, Mr.Rao said the health department had shifted its focus to influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) cases.
For this purpose, special camps were conducted at places from where COVID-19 positive cases were reported in order to identify people suffering from ILI or SARI complications. The wards functioning in government hospitals had been equipped to stabilise the health condition of ILI or SARI cases and then treat them for COVID-19 virus infection, if they test positive, he added.
New care centre
A 300-bed institutional COVID-19 care centre will come up at a private engineering college near Kumbakonam in addition to the special isolation wards set up at District Government Headquarters Hospital.
