- Patients should be above two years and under 65 years of age
- The patient can be isolated in a well-ventilated separate room with adequate washroom facilities at home
- The patient should not have any uncontrolled comorbidities such as morbid obesity (BMI >30), diabetes, hypertension, chronic heart/lung/renal disease, or other medical conditions
- The patient should not suffer from any immunocompromised diseases or should not be on any long-term treatment with medicines suppressing the immunity
- Patients should have adequate caregiver support at home
- The patient or the caregiver should have proper communication facilities
- Pregnant women should be at less than 24 weeks of gestation without risk factors
- The onset of symptoms will appear between four to five days from the day of exposure
- Symptoms usually include fever (temperature 100.4 F or greater), dry cough, shortness of breath, and loss of smell or taste
- Many people with Covid-19 will spend 2-14 days with minimal symptoms
- Mild to moderate illness lasts for about 7-10 days
- Fever
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Loss of smell or taste
- Body aches and pains
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea
- Patients should take adequate rest, plenty of fluids, and lie preferably in a prone position or turning to the left or right
- Patients should take their regular medicines without fail
- Take paracetamol for management of fever, body aches, and headache. Never use painkillers (NSAIDS) or steroids (unless on long-term steroid therapy for a chronic illness)
- Symptomatic treatment for cough and cold with a mild cough syrup and koththamalli, warm water, and steam inhalation will alleviate symptoms
- Vomiting/diarrhoea can be treated with antiemetics and oral rehydration solutions
- Patients who are on inhalers for asthma should continue these medications as prescribed
- Cold extremities
- Difficulty in breathing when resting
- Persistent chest pain/chest tightness
- Bluish discolouration of lips, nails, and face
- Oxygen saturation < 96% when resting, or < 94% after mild exertion (if a pulse oximeter is available with the patient)
- Recent onset of confusion/difficult to awake
- The patient must isolate him/herself from other household members. He/she should be kept in a well-ventilated room, especially away from the elderly and those with comorbidities such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, etc.
- Limit the patient’s movement around the house and minimise shared space
- Limit the number of caregivers. Ideally, assign one person who is in good health and has no underlying chronic conditions
- Visitors should not be allowed in the home until the person has completely recovered, shows no signs or symptoms of Covid-19, and has been released from isolation
- The patient should use a medical mask if coming into contact with healthy family members is inevitable
- If the caregiver enters the patient’s room, both the caregiver and patient should use medical masks
- The patient must rest, take plenty of fluids to maintain adequate hydration, and have nutritious meals
- Follow respiratory etiquettes at all times
- Patients and the caregivers should frequently wash hands with soap and water for at least 40 seconds or clean hands with alcohol-based sanitiser
- The patient should not share personal items (towels, bedding, cups/plates, toothbrush, etc.) with other members of the household
- The patient should clean these items by him/herself with soap and water
- Ensure cleaning of surfaces in the room that are touched often (tabletops, doorknobs, handles, etc.) with any household disinfectant preferably with bleach (0.1% sodium hypochlorite)
- When attending to patients and handling their body fluids (blood, stool, or saliva, mucus, vomitus, and urine) caregivers must wear gloves and both must wear medical masks
- Dispose of gloves/masks and other patient items with care adhering to safety measures. Wash hands right away. The used masks shall be buried or disposed of safely to avoid spreading of the virus
- Self-monitoring of blood oxygen levels (SpO2) with a pulse oximeter is recommended if available
- Self-monitor symptoms (fever, breathlessness, cough, etc.) and daily temperature and report promptly to the doctor if there’s any deterioration of symptoms
- If any worsening of symptoms is noted, the patient or the caregiver should contact the call center, the public health inspector (PHI), or 1990 immediately to arrange hospital admission
- Patient should never overexert him/herself
- Keep contacts with friends and family via phone, email, video calls, or texting
- Engage in what makes you happy, such as writing, reading, music, etc.
- Face-to-face contact with a probable or confirmed case within one metre and for at least 15 minutes
- Direct physical contact with a probable or confirmed case
- Direct care for a patient with probable or confirmed Covid-19 without using recommended personal protective equipment
- Any other situations as indicated by local risk assessment on a case-by-case basis