Nine steps to safe home-based recovery from COVID-19

With the recent increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Health in Laos is promoting home-based recovery for patients with mild or no symptoms. This is to ensure the country keeps the hospitals and isolation facilities available to those who need it most.
Minister of Health, Dr Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, said ‘‘In light of the upcoming Pi Mai Lao, I would like to urge everyone to strictly follow all preventive measures, including wearing a well-fitted face mask and maintaining physical distance to protect yourself and your community. Please stay home if you feel unwell or develop COVID-19 related symptoms and follow the recommended steps in the home-based recovery guidelines. While we celebrate the Lao New Year, let’s ensure that our loved ones stay protected from COVID-19.’’
World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative to Laos, Dr Ying-Ru Jacqueline Lo, said recovering safely at home is part of Lao’s longer-term plan to manage COVID-19 while protecting health systems and reducing pressure on health care workers. People who are not in a high-risk category and without symptoms or with only mild symptoms can recover safely at home by following some sensible precautions and seeking help if their symptoms worsen.
“WHO will continue to work with the Ministry of Health to manage surges in cases and transition to sustainable management of COVID-19 by addressing areas such as making effective use of the health system by advising on care pathways (where patients are cared for), treatment, infection prevention and control, as well as providing credible, reliable information so people can continue to protect themselves, the vulnerable and their local health system,” said Dr Lo.
If you have tested positive for COVID-19, here are 9 steps you can follow to avoid spreading the infection, keep everyone safe and know what to do if your symptoms worsen. Many of these steps are also useful for people who have been asked to isolate after being exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Register with your local health authority
If you test positive for COVID-19 by using a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kit, it is important to inform your local health authority. You can use the Ministry of Health’s online self-reporting platform to do this: https://forms.gle/wNJ7uTWH1i22onPm7. Or call hotline 163 and 164. A health official will message or call you back to give you a patient ID number and ask if you have any symptoms.
Decide whether to stay at home or at an assigned facility
The Ministry of Health has suggested that only patients who are not in a high-risk category and have only mild symptoms or do not have any symptoms can recover at home.
If you stay home, you must have one or two people dedicated as caregivers who have no underlying health conditions that put them at risk for severe disease and have received at least two doses of the recommended vaccine.
Home-based recovery is not recommended for the elderly (people aged 60 and over), people with underlying health conditions and pregnant women who should have access to healthcare services to monitor their conditions, since people in these groups have a higher risk of developing severe illness when they develop symptoms.
Isolate and maintain distance
To prevent household transmission among family members, it is strongly recommended that a patient with COVID-19 should stay in a separate bedroom. If this is not possible, they must sleep in a separate bed. If possible, the person with COVID-19 should have a separate bathroom and/or toilet. If this is not possible, clean the bathroom and/or toilet after the person with COVID-19 has used it.
Movement of the person with COVID-19 around the home should be limited to essential purposes only (such as using the bathroom). Also, they should keep at least 1 metre away from anyone else. During the isolation period, it is recommended not to allow visitors into the house to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Ventilate rooms and common spaces
Good ventilation in the room of the person with COVID-19 and in common areas means having fresh, clean air coming through as much as possible, and this can be done by opening windows where it is safe to do so.
Wear a face mask and maintain hygiene
Whenever the person with COVID-19 is in the same room as someone else, they should both wear a well-fitted face mask. When caregivers leave the room of the infected person, they need to remove their mask and be sure to wash their hands. It is strongly recommended to avoid sharing towels, bedlinen, dishes, or even mobile phones.
Disinfect objects and surfaces that are frequently touched by the person with COVID-19 every day till the end of the isolation period. The room of the person with COVID-19 should be cleaned and disinfected regularly and thoroughly at the end of their isolation period. Any waste generated by the infected person (such as used tissues) should be considered infectious and disposed of safely.
Monitor and treat any symptoms.
The symptoms of COVID-19 may last a few days. The most common symptoms are fever, dry cough and fatigue. Other symptoms include loss of taste or smell, sore throat, headache, muscle pain and dizziness. Follow the advice of the health-care provider about what medication to take.
Know the red flags and seek help early
When someone is recovering from COVID-19 at home, their condition should be monitored at least once a day. Signs that may indicate a worsening condition depend on the age of the person infected:
•  For adults, they include light-headedness, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chest pain, or dehydration.
• Children can also appear suddenly confused, uninterested in food, or have blue lips or a blue face.
• Infants and babies can have an inability to breastfeed.
• In any of these cases, or any other symptoms that make you or the family feels the necessity to see a doctor, seek urgent care.
Stay home for the required isolation period
People who test positive for COVID-19 but have no symptoms must isolate for 10 days counting from the day of the positive test.People with mild symptoms must isolate for 10 days, plus three 3 additional days after the end of respiratory symptoms and fever. After completing the required home isolation period, they do not need to test again, and can resume their daily activities. People who have been asked to isolate because they are a contact of someone with COVID-19 must stay home for 7 days.
Get more information and help
There are several ways to seek help. This includes hotlines 163 and 164 which provide advice for people recovering at home. Advice on home-based recovery is also available at the Ministry of Health’s Centre of Information and Education for Health Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CCEH.MoH.Lao
This article is contributed by the Ministry of Health and WHO communication team  

By Advertorial Desk
(Latest Update March 31, 2022)