Asymptomatic patients to get ‘home treatment’

As per the plan, soon after the civic body officials identify any patient without symptoms, they should take the patient to clinical assessment by medical officers. If the patient is clinically normal, the official should send them to home isolation or COVID care centres.

“The field officials should assess the houses of the patients. If they find the houses fit for home isolation, they will send the patients there. Otherwise, the patients will be sent to COVID care centres. Houses having separate rooms with attached bathrooms will be considered fit for home isolation,” an official said.

If the asymptomatic patients are found to be clinically significant, the civic body would send them to hospitals for treatment.

On the other hand, symptomatic and high-risk patients would be sent to the hospitals straight away. High-risk patients include persons above 50 years of age and persons with comorbid conditions.

Meanwhile, the civic body move to send the clinically normal patients to home isolation has created fear among the family members, particularly those families with elderly persons and children.

Mahendran, a resident of Ram Nagar in Triplicane, said the civic body sent a positive person to his house within four days after he was confirmed positive. “We have a child in the house and fear for its health. Also, the officials do not care to explain the situation to the family,” he said.

The civic body has set up 39 COVID care centres, which lodge around 1,000 patients. Around 200 patients have been sent to home isolation.