When to seek hospitalisation if Covid-19 positive

As healthcare infrastructure struggles to keep up with a steady stream of Covid patients, doctors are advising patients to not worry if the RT-PCR test comes back positive and not demand hospital admission when not necessary.

Several hospitals across the country have been running out of beds due to a sharp increase in the number of Covid-19 patients seeking medical admission, resulting in the death of several critical patients unable to receive treatment.

According to Dr CS Pramesh, director of Tata Memorial Hospital, most Covid-19 positive patients can be treated at home. A video message posted by @/MyGovIndia gives more details.

Here are the key takeaways from the video

Keep monitoring

Oximeters can be used thrice a day to check the oxygen saturation rate. If these results are normal, there is no reason to go to the hospital, the expert said.

Covid-positive patients must monitor their fever and oxygen level in addition to taking proper diet, plenty of fluid, yoga, and pranayam, the video said.

Also Read | What medicines should you take if you have Covid-19?

So what helps and what should you do?

A six-minute walk measure is recommended for the correct interpretation of the oxygen level, in which a patient must take an oxygen reading before and after six minutes of walking in their isolation rooms. This helps determine the oxygen level - a key determiner of severity of cases.

When should you seek hospitalisation?

Only if you have the following signs should you be hospitalised:
>On the Oximeter, the baseline saturation is less than 94%.
> Before and after 6 minutes of walking, the oxygen level fluctuates by 4% or more.

Also Read | Remdesivir not meant for Covid-19 patients: AIIMS chief tells Patna HC

What medicies to take?

When a patient just has a fever with no other symptoms, paracetamol is all that is needed in terms of treatment.

85% of Covid patients recover without any other treatment, AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria said.