Home care for Covid-19 patients faces resistance in Kerala

Even as home care for asymptomatic Covid-19 patients is becoming an inevitable option in Kerala in view of the sky rocketing number of Covid cases, the state is witnessing local resistance toward home care, citing chances of spread of Covid-19. The state government is planning massive awareness to overcome this.

Kerala is witnessing steep increase in Covid-19 cases. The daily fresh cases have been increasing day by day and an all time high of 7,445 was reported on Sunday, taking the total number of active patients to 56,709.

In view of the increasing Covid-19 cases, the government decided to implement the home care option to those who do not have any serious medical issues. About 80 per cent of the Covid-19 patients in Kerala were asymptomatic and the number of patients requiring intensive care treatment was also very low in Kerala. The state government issued detailed guidelines for home care.

However, health department sources said that only around ten percent of Covid-19 patients opted for home care option so far. Local people were opposing home care of Covid-19 patients, raising concerns that the virus would spread through water or air.

Kerala Covid-19 task force member Dr Mohammed Asheel said that at many places, local people were raising concerns over those who tested positive for Covid-19 remaining in home. The issue was mainly felt at residential complexes. The people were being misled by wrong assumptions about the spread of Covid-19 and hence a massive awareness was the only solution to over come this.

The state had earlier witnessed resistance from local people towards persons in home quarantine, especially those who came from other state and countries. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had also expressed concerns over this and warned of stringent actions.

Health department officials said that at present state have facility to treat up to 83,000 Covid-19 patients including the beds at Covid First Line Treatment Centres. However, as the load of the health sector increases, it would obviously affect the level of medical attention each patient receive.

Meanwhile, state health minister K K Shailaja said that the government would be forced to look for total shut down if the situations go beyond control. She flayed that flouting of social distance norms by people was the triggering factor for present spike in Covid cases in Kerala.

Experts had earlier projected that the number of fresh Covid cases being reported in Kerala will go up to 10,000 daily by September. Relaxing Covid-19 norms during the Onam festival season was one major factor for the spread of the disease.