Mild symptom cases treated at home
MADURAI: With the surge in Covid-19 cases, patients with mild symptoms are now being treated in home isolation. As on Wednesday, 61 asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients were kept in home isolation in the city, Collector TG Vinay told TNIE.
As the district is now recording a minimum of 150 fresh cases every day, the district administration made the decision to decongest the hospitals, sources said. Collector added that the plan has been initiated in the Madurai Corporation limits.
Explaining the move, an official of the Health Department said that it is mandatory that the patients, who are allowed home isolation, have separate rooms and toilet. Also, the patients' house cannot be in a slum or congested area, she added. Besides, the family should have a healthy person to take care of the patients and none of their family members should fall under high-risk groups, she added.
"Corporation workers deliver vegetables, groceries and medicines to the households of Covid-19 patients in home isolation. They also provide pamphlets on the do's and don'ts to be followed while in isolation and a detailed diet plan. An allopathy medicine kit comprising tablets of paracetamol, azithromycin, oseltamivir, vitamin C and Zinc are also given to them," said official sources.
Besides, on behalf of Corporation, an AYUSH medicine kit comprising kabasura kudineer, Arsenicum album tablets is provided, they added. Sources said that pulse oximeters, thermometers and glucometers (for persons with controlled diabetes) should also need to be present at the house of the patients to monitor their vitals every day. "To carry out daily monitoring, a nurse from the Urban Primary Health Center (UPHC) would visit the house and the patient would also receive audio or video calls every day from the telemedicine centre set up by the Corporation. During the calls, the patient is asked to take the reading of his vitals. The readings are then entered in e-Medical records maintained at the centre until the patient is discharged after ten days. Contact numbers of the medical officer and UPHC nurses are given to the patients," said the official.
Home isolation is to be extended to patients in rural parts in a couple of days, added the Collector.
5,000 bedded facility established in Madurai, says Minister
There are adequate bedding facilities in Madurai to accommodate patients, said Minister for Revenue, Disaster Management and Information Technology R B Udhayakumar. Of the 5,148 bedding facilities established in the district, 1,949 had been occupied, he added.
The minister was addressing media persons at the collectorate on Thursday. He said that there were 1,400 beds in the Government Rajaji Hospital, 260 beds in private hospitals, 708 in other government hospitals and 2,780 beds in Covid Care Centers. Efforts are being made to increase the oxygen support facilities at taluk level hospitals, he added.
Further, as on July 1, 1,949 patients are under treatment and 874 have been discharged after recovery, while 40 patients have died. Patients having mild or no symptom without any comorbid conditions are permitted home isolation, he added. This apart, home-to-home surveillance for fever and other symptoms are being carried out for early detection of cases. Village vigilance committees have also been constituted to identify the symptomatic cases at the earliest and contain the spread, he added.
Behavioral communication strategy to be framed to combat spike in cases in Madurai
A behavioural communication strategy would be framed to change the lethargic behaviour of public during the time of the surge in cases, said District Monitoring Officer B Chandra Mohan.
He inspected the teleconsultation centre established at Arignar Anna Maligai here on Thursday. Addressing the media persons, he said that unless people cooperate with the officials, all the efforts made by the government would go in vain. Of the ten strategies framed to curb Covid-19 cases, behavioural communication is one, he said.
"The 'Home and Community' based model of strategies are framed to involve the community-based sectors, including the NGOs and industries, in the war against the pandemic," he added.
Regarding treatment, the patients are segregated into three categories - mildly-infected, moderately-infected and severely-infected. "Those, who are asymptomatic and mildly-infected, would be permitted for home quarantine, given they have the prescribed facilities. Others would be quarantined at Covid Care Centres and those in need of hospitalisation would be admitted to Government Rajaji Hospital," he said.
The teleconsultation centre would monitor those under home isolation. "While the nurses would solve the preliminary queries, doctors would assess the clinical symptoms and order for immediate hospitalisation if necessary," he added.
He further said that though there is a significant surge in cases, the death rate is comparatively low. Steps are being taken to increase the rate of recovery, he said.
Nilakottai AWPS closed due to Covid-19
An All Women Police Station (AWPS) at Nilakottai in Dindigul was closed on Thursday after a head constable tested positive for Covid-19. The 45-year-old head constable reportedly got infected after she visited a private clinic, where a nurse tested positive. She was admitted to the government Dingidul hospital for treatment. The police station was disinfected and other police personnel were tested. Their results are awaited.
Paramakudi MLA tests positive for Covid-19
Paramakudi AIADMK MLA N Sathan Prabhakar tested positive for the virus and was admitted to Ramanathapuram District Government Headquarters Hospital. The 48-year-old legislator, representing AIADMK, was elected from Paramakudi (reserved) Assembly constituency during the by-election held in May last year. The MLA was spotted in many public events, including those related to distribution of welfare assistance to beneficiaries. Apart from the MLA, his son and his assistant (who had a travel history to Chennai) also tested positive for Covid-19. The MLA, who is asymptomatic reportedly volunteered for test after his assistant tested positive. Sathan Prabhakar became the third AIADMK MLA to test positive for the virus and the fifth legislator to test positive in Tamil Nadu.
Brought death patient tested positive for Covid19
A 58-year-old woman, who was dead on arrival at the Government Sivaganga Medical College Hospital, tested positive for Covid-19. According to sources, the woman from Bharathiar Nagar in Sivaganga was suffering from fever for a week. However, the family members took her to GSMCH only when her condition became critical on Tuesday night. The doctors declared her dead on arrival. However, a swab test was done and the result came positive. She is the fifth patient to die of Covid in the Sivaganga district, added an official.
Man kills self over alleged stigmatisation
A 30-year-old man hanged himself to death on Thursday. The deceased was identified as Raja (30), a resident of Bethaniyapuram Mettu Street in Madurai. A few people in locality claimed that he was upset after his wife did not allow him to stay with their children inside the house as he developed Covid-19 symptoms. Upset over this, he reportedly hanged himself at his workshop. However, denying such claims, Karimedu Inspector (L&O) Shankar Kannan said that he had a dispute with his wife regarding some financial issues as he had no job in this period. His body was handed over to his family after a postmortem examination. The police launched an investigation.
(With inputs from Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, and Dindigul)