ln view of setting in of 2nd wave of COVID 19 in the state, wherein the positive cases are increasing alarmingly, the following guidelines are issued by the Government of Karnataka to facilitate the effective management of patients, both under home isolation / home care and at COVID care centre, Designated COVID Health centre or Designated Covid Hospital.
 

Eligibility for Home Isolation Or Home Care

• The person shall be clinically assigned as asymptomatic/mild case through telephonic triage or by the health staff/medical officer/ physician
• Such cases should have the requisite facility at their residence for self-isolation and also for quarantining the family contacts
• A caregiver should be available to provide care on a 24 X 7 basis. A regular communication link between the caregiver and hospital is a pre-requisite for the entire duration of home isolation/home care
• Mild fever < 38-degree Celsius (< 1OO.4 degree F)
• Oxygen saturation should be less than or equal to 95%
• Elderly patients aged more than 60 years and those with co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung / liver/ kidney disease, cerebrovascular disease etc. shall be allowed home isolation/home care only after proper clinical evaluation by the treating medical officer/physician/ family doctor
• The person shall provide a signed undertaking for self-isolation/home care and follow guidelines of home isolation/home care
• The person shall agree to monitor his/her health and regularly inform their health status to the tele-monitoring team/medical officer/physician/family doctor and District Surveillance Officer (DSO) for further follow up by the surveillance teams
• Home isolation/home care shall not be applicable for pregnant women 2 weeks before expected date of delivery (EDD)
• Home isolation/home care shall be allowed for lactating mothers after clinical evaluation by medical officer/ physician/ family doctor

Requisite Facility at Home for Isolation/Homecare

• Separate well ventilated room with a separate toilet for the person in isolation/home care
• The person shall stay in the identified room and away from other persons in the home (especially the elderly and those with co-morbid conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, etc.)

Download the detailed guidelines document issued by the Government of Karnataka on April 20, 2021. This document further lays out the criteria for hospitalization, hospital discharge, shifting COVID-19 positive patients to Covid Care Centres, transfer of clinically improved patients from COVID hospitals to COVID care centres, etc.