Following the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in rural areas, the Centre issued new guidelines on Sunday. According to the government, there is now a gradual ingress in peri-urban, rural, and tribal areas as well.
The ministry of health and family welfare, in releasing the guidelines, stated that communities must be enabled and primary level healthcare infrastructure must be strengthened at all levels in order to intensify Covid-19 response in these areas while continuing to provide other essential health services.
According to health ministry guidelines, ASHA should conduct active surveillance for influenza-like illness/severe acute respiratory infections (ILI/SARI) in every village on a regular basis with the help of the Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VHSNC).
It also requested that the community health officer (CHO) use teleconsultation to determine the severity of the infection and refer cases with comorbidities and low oxygen saturation to higher centres. The CHOs should also be trained in performing rapid antigen testing (RAT), and the kits should be made at all public health facilities, according to the report.
“These patients should be counselled to isolate themselves till test results are available. Those asymptomatic but having history of high-risk exposure to COVID patients (exposure of more than 15 mins without a mask within 6 feet distance) should be advised quarantine and tested as per ICMR protocol,” the ministry further said in the guidelines.
The guidelines also recommend focusing on contact tracing in accordance with the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program’s (IDSP) guidelines, as well as allowing those who test positive to quarantine at home if they follow the ministry’s protocols.
