Prominent Hospital Launches Advanced COVID Care Beyond Hospitals To Provide COVID Treatment At Home

On 1 June, Apollo Hospitals launched 'Advanced COVID Care beyond Hospitals', an initiative to provide COVID-positive patients with the best of medical care while they are in quarantine at home and help relieve the capacity pressure on the hospitals and healthcare system.

The initiative aims to ensure expert advice and timely guidance from COVID specialists is just a phone call away, providing peace of mind for COVID-patients who are recovering from home. Through regular monitoring by critical care specialists and video consultations with ICU doctors, timely recognition of symptoms, proper steps of treatment at the right time can be initiated.

In case of complications and the need for oxygen support and hospitalisation, it can also be arranged promptly. The critical care specialists will be supported by the 'Apollo Doc On Call' program that has supported patients with care beyond the wall of the hospitals over the past four years.

COVID-19 Treatment At Home

Most people infected with coronavirus experience a mild or asymptomatic disease that can be treated at home [1]. Doctors say people who have symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, nausea, diarrhoea and loss of taste and smell fall under mild cases and can be treated easily at home. People who don't have a symptom of shortness of breath also falls under this category.

The symptoms might last a few days, and people who have the virus might feel better in about a week. However, older adults and people of any age with existing medical conditions should call their doctor as soon as symptoms start showing [2][3].

Advanced COVID Care Beyond Hospitals: A Solution To The Overwhelming Burden On Indian Hospitals

The second wave of COVID infections has seen hospitals faced a steep rise in the number of patients resulting in pressure on the bed capacity. Since a majority of the cases of COVID are asymptomatic or mild, the hospital's decision to launch the 'Advanced COVID Care beyond Hospitals' that reaches out beyond the four walls of the hospitals to deliver timely treatment at home for these patients can ease the overwhelming burden imposed on the Indian healthcare system, especially during this second wave. According to Apollo doctors, these are some of the benefits of at-home care:

Regular monitoring of parameters, just like in hospital with video consultation from special ICU doctors, will ensure timely treatment and any potentially serious complication can be addressed immediately.
Patients will be guided through their recovery at home without having to step out of the house or being exposed to a potentially harmful environment. Through the Advanced COVID Care beyond Hospitals programme, health experts will treat COVID-positive patients through their treatment at home and limit the disease progression.

The doctors added that many COVID-positive patients do not have severe symptoms and can be treated at home, provided the symptoms are recognised well in advance, and the right treatment is given. Administering the right drug is also essential to ensure that patients recover soon and do not reach the reduced oxygen state.

Essentially, providing COVID-positive patients with correct treatment and thorough monitoring will prevent the use of resources such as the need for hospitalisation, beds, oxygen and ventilators [4]. A dedicated helpline number has been allocated to get patients in touch with a general physician who will prescribe necessary tests and medicines.

Tips For COVID Home Care

If your symptoms are mild enough that you can recover at home, follow these steps [5][6]:

• Drink plenty of fluids. Drink enough water so that your pee has a pale, clear colour.
• Get plenty of rest.
• Isolate yourself at home if you have any symptoms of COVID-19.
• Avoid any strenuous activity.
• Use over-the-counter medicines to treat some of your symptoms.
• Try to stay in one place in your home. Use a separate bedroom and bathroom if you can.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow.
• Wash your hands regularly.
• Wear a mask inside the home too. A triple-layered mask is the best one, which needs to be discarded after 8 hours, after disinfection [7].
• Don't share dishes, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with anyone else.
• Clean and disinfect common surfaces like doorknobs, counters, and tabletops.
• Steam inhalations and warm gargles are also recommended.
• If your symptoms get worse, call your doctor right away.

On A Final Note...

Apollo Hospital's Advanced COVID Care Beyond Hospital is also extended to other hospitals that may need expert advice from senior specialists in COVID patients care. Patients can reach COVID-care specialists at 044-28292929 to speak regarding their symptoms and treatment.