Health Ministry Issues Guidelines For Post COVID-19 Care

NEW DELHI: The Union health ministry on Sunday issued a post COVID-19 management protocol for recovered patients. The ministry said, “After acute Covid-19 illness, recovered patients may continue to report wide variety of signs and symptoms including fatigue, body ache, cough, sore throat, difficulty in breathing, etc,” and therefore “a holistic approach is required for follow up care and well-being of all post-Covid recovering patients.”

It has listed having chyawanprash, doing yoga and pranayam and going for walks among its suggestions.

The ministry had updated the protocols and divided it into three categories, including at individual level, at community level and at the healthcare facility setting.

India's COVID-19 tally of cases sprinted past 47 lakh with 94,372 new infections being reported in a day, while 37,02,595 people have recuperated taking the national recovery rate to 77.88 per cent on Sunday, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

AT INDIVIDUAL LEVEL:

• Mandatory use of masks, maintain physical distance.
• Drink warm water
• Take immunity promoting AYUSH medicine which is prescribed by a qualified practitioner of AYUSH.
• Keep doing regular household work, professional work needs to be resumed in graded manner.
• Practice yoga, pranayama and medication.
• Practice breathing exercises
• Daily morning/evening walk at a pace comfortable for you.
• take a balanced nutritious diet
• Have good sleep and rest
• Avoid smoking and consuming alcohol
• Self-health monitoring at home - temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar (especially, if diabetic), pulse oximetry etc (if medically advised)
• If sore throat, then do saline gargles or take steam inhalation.

AT COMMUNITY LEVEL

• Recovered patients can positive experiences with friends and relatives using social media, community leaders, opinion leaders, religious leaders for creating awareness, dispelling myths and stigma.
• Take support of community based self-help groups, civil society organizations, and qualified professionals for recovery and rehabilitation process
• Seek psycho-social support from peers, community health workers, counsellor.
• If need be, one may also seek mental health support service.
• Participate in yoga, meditation group sessions.

IN HEALTHCARE FACILITY SETTING

• The first follow visit (physical/telephonic) should be within 7 days after discharge, preferably at the hospital where he/she underwent treatment.
• Next treatments maybe with the nearest qualified allopathic/AYUSH practitioner/medical facility
• Poly-therapy is to be avoided due to potential for unknown drug-drug interaction, which may lead to Serious Adverse Events (SAE) or Adverse Effects (AE).
• Patients in home isolation, if there are persisting symptoms, need to visit the nearest health facility.
• Severe cases need more stringent follow up.

AYUSH MEDICINE:

• Ayush Kwath (150 ml; 1 cup) daily, Samshamani vati twice a day 500 mg (1 gm per day) or Giloy powder 1 -3 grams with luke warm water for 15 days, Ashwagandha 500 mg twice a day (1 gm per day) or Ashwagandha powder 1-3 grams twice daily for 15 days and Amla fruit one daily/Amla powder 1-3 grams once daily.
• Mulethi powder (in case of dry cough) 1- 3 gram with luke warm water twice daily
• Warm milk with ½ teaspoonful Haldi in (morning/evening)
• Gargling with turmeric and salt
• Chyawanprash 1 teaspoonful (5 mg) once daily in morning (as per directions from Vaidya) with lukewarm water/ milk.