Not all COVID-19 positive patients can opt for home isolation, according to a Davao City health official – who said that one must have own bedroom and CR but he or she will still undergo evaluation and verification.
Davao City COVID-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser said, “We are waiting for the general guidelines. Ang karon kasi ang permitted ang Davao Doctors para sa home isolation. Dili pasabot nga gusto mag-home isolation matugtan na (Davao Doctors is the one permitted to implement home isolation. It does not mean that if you want to be under home isolation, you will be readily allowed to do so). We have to make sure properly monitored and evaluated ang COVID-19 positive patient so we have to make sure katong gusto mag home isolation fitted ilang balay (that those who want home isolation, their houses fit the requirements).”
Houses will be verified by ground contact tracers, according to her, and having a bedroom and CR for the patient’s sole use is among the requirements. The house where the COVID-19 positive case will be isolating must not have any senior citizen or anybody with comorbidity.
“Dapat mag-fall sila sa criteria nato. Apart from that, ang patient i-evaluate by the monitoring team, clinically assess the patient kung okay lang ba mag home isolation (They should fall into those criteria. Apart from that, a COVID-19 patient will be evaluated by a monitoring team to clinically assess the patient if he or she is fit to undergo home isolation),” the CHO official said during the COVID-19 Alert program of 87.5 Davao City Disaster Radio on Wednesday, September 23.
If the patient manifests difficulty in breathing, low oxygenation level, and fluid loss due to diarrhea, hospital care would be necessary instead of home isolation. Otherwise, it would put the lives of other household members at risk of getting infected with home isolation, especially when they are not yet vaccinated.
Dr. Schlosser bared that home isolation helps address the lack of facilities due to the city’s surge of COVID-19 cases. She said that as of September 19, the city reached the high-risk usage of ICU facilities in hospitals.
Although she underscored that the city’s isolation facilities in schools are still available, some tend to be choosy with their isolation venue.
She urged, “Isolate sa imong sarili sa facilities may it be hotel o eskwelahan o TTMF dili lang na para sa imong sarili para pud na sa imong pamilya og komunidad (Isolate yourself in facilities may it be in a hotel or a school or a Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility not just for yourself but also for your family and community).”
Others, she said, want to do home isolation but do not even have their own rooms. Thus patient assessment will be conducted on patients wanting home isolation as the condition may worsen if not given the proper medical attention needed. Ensuring the safety of patients under home isolation remains a top priority.
“Assess thoroughly or we will be held liable for that if mamatay madisgrasya diay (if the patient dies),” she added.
Dr. Schlosser urged the public to be honest in reporting their symptoms so that physicians can properly assess and evaluate them for their medical needs and whether they are fit for home isolation, or at TTMF, or hospital.
Davao City has a total of 9,121 active cases as of September 22 from the overall record of 47,524 since March 2020; 36,965 total recoveries; and 1,438 deaths.CIO
