Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) Monday said that Covid-19 is new disease and every day doctors learn how to tackle the impending crisis posed by virus stating that it is time to apply Chinese model to defeat the deadly disease.
President, DAK, Dr Suhail Naik said that doctors in Kashmir must have “experiences of failure” of many countries that have been draped by the novel coronavirus.
“We have now completed tenth days of lockdown which covers the incubation period of Covid-19 for majority of cases to surface, but we are not in crisis,” he said.
Dr Naik said this vividly indicates that “we are following right path to combat the Covid-19.”
“But this doesn’t mean that we will show complacency and it is right time to prepare ourselves for tackling all the expected crisis due to Covid-19,” he said.
Dr Naik said from the various scientific studies, it is now clear that around 85% Covid-19 positive patients have mild or asymptomatic disease and can be easily managed at home.
“Further 10% of patients have severe disease and need hospitalisation for oxygen and supportive care. While about 5 % of patients have critical disease , who invariably need ventilator support and admission in critical care units,” he said.
Dr Naik said keeping in view the strength of local health system it is very imperative that “we must follow the Chinese model of Covid-19.”
“The Chinese model was released by Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University for the novel coronovirus Management and Research Team,” he said.
Naik said guidelines suggested that quarantine, isolation could be done at home with proper guidance, home surveillance and only sick patients should be sent to hospitals.
“By adopting the Chinese model, it is quite possible that around 85% of Covid-19 positive cases can be managed at home under surveillance of frontline health workers. This strategy will save our health structure from overburden and as such prevent crisis,” he said.
DAK said that China has also released home care guidelines and recommend that those with mild symptoms and positive test should stay in a well-ventilated, single-occupancy room at home and household articles should be cleaned and disinfected with a chlorine-containing solution (500 mg/L) frequently every day.
“Visits from relatives and friends should be limited and the caregiver should be a healthy family member who does not have any underlying diseases. The patient's activity should be restricted,” DAK said.
The guidelines strongly suggest that if all public health measures are implemented at home by educating family and under the surveillance of frontline health workers majority of patients can be isolated, quarantined and managed at home only.
Dr Naik, who is also consultant Paediatrician said that even the Paediatric department of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) recommends the home quarantine and Isolation for contacts and cases of Covid-19 positive respectively.