Some patients exempt from isolation rule

CEBU, Philippines —  Some patients are exempt from the recent decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Diseases that requires facility-based isolation among asymptomatic COVID-19 patients and those with mild symptoms.

Under IATF’s Resolution No. 75, the individuals exempted are the vulnerable or those with comorbidities, including minors, senior citizens, people with underlying health conditions, pregnant women, persons with disability who cannot carry-out self-care, and immunocompromised patients.

However, these individuals can be exempted if evaluation by a local health officer would show that their houses meet the conditions specified in Annex F of Department of Health and the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s Joint Administrative Order 2020-0001 or the “Guidelines on Local Isolation and General Treatment Areas for COVID-19 cases (LIGTAS COVID) and the Community-based Management of Mild COVID-19 Cases.”

This home care checklist includes considerations on infrastructure, accommodation, and resource for patient care and support.

For infrastructure, there should be a line of communication with family and health workers at home along with electricity, potable water, cooking source, bathroom with toilet, and sink.

If possible, a patient in home isolation should have a separate bathroom. If none, a bathroom would have to be disinfected immediately after the patient uses it, particularly surfaces that came in contact with the patient.

Homes should also have a solid waste and sewage disposal.

In terms of accommodations, there should be a separate bedroom for the patient, or separate bed with enough distance (3 feet or 1 meter) so long as there are no vulnerable persons in the household.

In terms of resource for patient care and support, authorities said there should be a primary caregiver who will remain in the residence and who is not at high risk for complications, and is educated on proper precautions, as well as meal preparation.

Medications for preexisting conditions, as needed, should be at hand along with a digital thermometer, preferably one per patient, and has to be disinfected before and after use, masks, tissue, hand hygiene products, laundry and household cleaning products.

Aside from these conditions, home isolation for asymptomatic and mild cases may be allowed if Ligtas COVID-19 Centers in the region are fully occupied and the local government unit does not have sufficient isolation facilities as confirmed by the local Regional Task Force on COVID-19.

In Cebu City, the Emergency Operations Center has made it a point to bring to isolation centers residents who are asymptomatic and those with mild symptoms to prevent home transmission of the virus.

Data from the Department of Health (DOH)-7 as of September 25 showed that Cebu City has 391 remaining active cases, including nine new cases.

Of this number, 299 patients are in isolation while the rest are in hospitals.

Cebu City has several isolation centers, including the NOAH Complex, two DOH-Bayanihan Field Centers (EIC and SHS-Boys) and the Cebu City Quarantine Center, which is under renovation as of this writing. Two schools are also on standby as barangay isolation centers. — JMO (FREEMAN)