Assam issues 7-day discharge protocol for home isolation Covid patients

The Assam government, in accordance with the Centre's policy, has said that a COVID-19 patient under home isolation will be considered discharged after seven days without having taken a second test, provided the person did not get fever for three consecutive days.

Issuing a Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for home isolation on Saturday, the Assam Health and Family Welfare Department said the country and the state are witnessing a third wave of the pandemic, possibly due to the latest detected variant of coronavirus, Omicron.

"Patients under home isolation will stand discharged and end isolation after at least 7 days have passed from testing positive subject to the conditions that there has been no fever for three successive days and they shall continue wearing masks," it added.

The patients will, however, continue to be under home quarantine for seven more days, the SOP stated.

"There is no need for re-testing after the home isolation period is over. Asymptomatic contacts of infected individuals need not undergo COVID test but should monitor his or her health condition in home quarantine," the document said.

The guidelines asserted that the majority of the new cases are either asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms and such cases usually recover with minimal interventions, and may be managed at home under proper medical guidance and monitoring.

"The telemedicine and home-based medical care system has been strengthened across the state considering the possibility of large numbers of COVID-positive cases in the state," it added.

The SOP also said that all the confirmed cases which are not experiencing any symptom and have oxygen saturation of more than 93 per cent at room air may be considered as asymptomatic cases.

"Such cases should have requisite facility at their residence for self-isolation... A caregiver should be available to provide assistance 24x7," it added.

The caregiver should ideally be someone who has completed his COVID-19 vaccination schedule with both doses, the SOP added.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, addressing a press meet on Friday, had said that his government, this time, is encouraging people to undergo home isolation if their condition is not serious.

The state will provide them a kit with all medicines free of cost and tele-counselling services by doctors will be made available regularly, he had told reporters.