Following the risk of a possible COVID-19 devastation on Uganda, the Uganda Medical Association has issued a home care guide on frequently asked questions on the disease.
The country has over a thousand new COVID 19 infections and several deaths daily. “We have a combination of both uninfected people and people at different stages of the infection in all communities. For the majority of infected people, care can be safely provided at home,” says the UMA guide.
Here below, U.M.A provides some guidance for the safe care of infected persons at home:
What is Home Based Care?
This is care provided to a COVID 19 infected person at home by a family member, friend or local community with advice and support from trained health workers.
I am not infected by COVID 19, what should I do?
Please continue to keep safe and do the following Home Care Practices. Avoid all unnecessary travel or movement. Stay at home unless you have a very good reason to move, consistently and correctly wear a face mask. Avoid touching your face, nose, eyes and mouth. Wash hands frequently with water and soap or sanitize after touching surfaces. Keep a physical (& social) distance of 2 metres from other people. Drink a lot of water and fresh fruit juices such as orange and lemon juice for vitamin C. Also eat fresh fruits and vegetables such as pawpaw, tomatoes, green pepper, mangoes, avocado, guava. Fresh fruits boost immunity. Have at least 30min of sunshine for vitamin D daily especially in the morning hours. Rest enough to regain strength. Sleep at least for 6 – 8 hours daily. Eat a well-balanced diet (at least 3 meals a day) and enough to meet the body’s needs. If you are not vaccinated against COVID 19, go and get the recommended vaccine. COVID 19 vaccines are safe. You may experience mild side effects such as pain at the injection site, headache, fever, tiredness, joint and muscle pains, but these will subside within a few days. Take paracetamol if the headache is severe.
I am infected or tested positive but have no symptom, what should I do?
Over 80% of people infected by COVID19 do not even know they are infected because they do have symptoms. Symptoms develop in 20% over 2-14 days.
Please continue to practice the home care activities above. Do not move outside your home unless when seeking medical care. Do not go to work, school, market, church, communal gathering or meetings for at least 14 days. Do not use public transport like taxis, buses and shared boda-boda rides. Where possible, stay in a separate room and use a separate toilet from the rest of the family. If not, disinfect the bathroom after each use with soap or an alcohol based sanitizer and always have a mask on. You should eat a well-balanced diet and have at least 3 meals a day. Pay attention to your mental wellbeing. Relax and rest adequately.
What should do if I have mild symptoms only?
Mild symptoms of COVID19 include fever, sore throat, cough but without difficulty in breathing, body and muscle aches, headache, weakness and fatigue or a feeling of tiredness. Continue to practice home care as listed for the infected person who has no symptoms above. Get in contact with a nearby health centre for daily follow up. Have available at home someone who can care for you. Monitor your temperature using a thermometer every 8 hours. If you experience any difficulty in breathing, rush to your nearest health centre. If you can afford a pulse Oximeter, monitor your oxygen level 8 hourly and if this falls below 93%, rush to the nearest health centre or hospital. This is even more important if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, HIV, TB, cancer, sickle cell anaemia, you are obese or pregnant or just delivered a baby. Your health worker may give you treatment for home care such as tablets of Zinc Sulphate and other medicines. Home remedies with honey, lemon, ginger, garlic or onions in hot water may be helpful. Please Do Not Buy or take Dexamethasone, Prednisolone or other medicines used to treat COVID 19 unless prescribed by a Health worker. Taking these medicines without guidance can put you at other risks e.g. they can increase your risk of developing diabetes. It is very important that you can get quickly to a hospital in case of deterioration.
What if I have moderate or severe symptoms?
If you have difficulty in breathing, your temperature is 38.5oC or higher, confusion or reduced alertness, the oxygen saturation is less than 93%, or you feel extremely weak, you probably have moderately severe or severe COVID19 disease. This is an emergency. Get to a hospital urgently. Your body needs more Oxygen than what is in the air we breathe. Your doctor may give you antibiotics and an inhaled steroid as you are transferred. Do NOT continue to receive care in small clinics but go to a hospital if you have severe COVID 19 because your body’s demand for oxygen maybe higher than what the clinic can provide. After discharge from hospital, continue to follow the home care practices. Please note that re-infection can occur and so, follow the SOPs even after discharge. Also, if you were not vaccinated, after recovery, ensure you go and get your COVID 19 vaccine 28 days from your positive test or start of symptoms.
What about children? What do you advise?
Teach them to practice hand hygiene – washing hands with water and soap. Only children 6 years or older should wear masks. Ensure they get adequate nutrition with at least 3 main meals a day and include fruits and vegetables. They should sleep for at least 8 hours a day. Ensure their immunization is up to date. Older children can also take the home remedies of ginger, onions or garlic, lemon and honey but only giving them fruits and vegetables daily is good enough. A mother who tests positive for COVID19 can still breast feed. Please wash your hands and wear a mask while breastfeeding. The baby should however be checked by a doctor for COVID 19 so that appropriate treatment is given. Parents of all students returning from boarding schools with a cough, flu, fever, headache, chest pain or abdominal pain should immediately take these children for medical checkup. Those found to have mild COVID 19 should observe the guidance on home based care above.