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Friday, March 29, 2024

How to care for a COVID-positive family member

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Kristina (not her real name) can count on one hand the number of times she has left home since lockdown was imposed in Metro Manila. 

How to care for a COVID-positive family member
EXPERT SAYS. Dr. Marion Kwek (bottom photo), an infectious diseases specialist, offers steps to take if a member of the household tested positive for COVID-19. 

She doesn’t have to because her office allows them to work from home, she can have food delivered, and she can pay via online transactions. 

It also helps that she has a brother who goes out almost everyday, because his job requires him to, as she can ask him to run quick errands for her. 

Kristina is extremely careful not to catch the virus. She washes her hands regularly, she doesn’t interact with people outside their household, and she disinfects every item that arrives at their house. And if she does go outside, she wears a face mask, a face shield, and disinfects “almost every 5 minutes”. 

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She thought what she was doing was enough to keep her away from the virus. Until last month when she and her mother yielded positive COVID-19 results two weeks after her brother tested positive.

“It felt surreal, especially since I’ve been very careful,” relates Kristina, whose brother only isolated in their house (since he was allowed). Thankfully, she adds, both she and her mother only had one to two mild symptoms. 

They’re all cleared of the virus now. Kristina and her family continue to follow strict safety measures while waiting to be vaccinated. 

The irony of catching the virus while staying at home to prevent catching the virus does not escape many.  

“All it takes is one family member to unintentionally bring the coronavirus into the home,” says Dr. Marion Kwek, infectious diseases specialist at Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed). 

Dr. Kwek adds, “In a place where face masks go off and social distancing measures are eased, the virus has a greater chance of spreading during mealtime, bedtime, or while simply chatting with a spouse, child, sibling, or house helper.” 

What to do when a member of the household has COVID-19 and the hospitals are operating beyond capacity? Or what can family members do while their loved ones are isolating at home?

Dr. Kwek’s first advise is to isolate the family member. Ideally, a COVID-19-positive person should be in their own room with its own bathroom for the prescribed period of isolation. 

“If that’s not possible, limit your movements in shared spaces like the kitchen or bathroom, with all household members wearing a mask. Eating entails mask removal, so avoid eating at the same time. Constantly clean these spaces, as well as high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, light switches, faucets, electronic devices, and others.”

Making sure the patient is in a healthy environment is also important. Isolate them in a well-ventilated room with sunlight and provide them with fruits and vegetables as well as regular fluids from water or natural juices. 

It’s also the time to prepare the patient’s supplies including their own utensils, plate, glass, toiletries, medicines and vitamins, food and drinks, face masks and face shields, and even dishwashing soap and sponge. 

How to care for a COVID-positive family member
Caregivers of a COVID-positive family member are advised to strictly follow safety measures and to ‘take care of themselves’ by eating nutritious food, taking vitamins and supplements, and exercising, and getting enough rest.

According to the expert, households who may find it extremely difficult to comply with these measures may also be isolated in the COVID-19 isolation facilities of their respective local government units.

Next step is to inform a doctor. “Explain the patient’s symptoms in detail so your family physician or healthcare frontliner can prescribe the appropriate medications,” says Dr. Kwek. “Do not give medicine that other people take, that you just read about online, or that was not recommended by a doctor.” 

Alert the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT) of a COVID-19-positive family member even if they do not have symptoms or experiencing only mild symptoms. “BHERTs can facilitate transfers to treatment and monitoring facilities should the need arise,” explains Dr. Kwek.

It is also important to contact the people the COVID-positive family member was last seen with. “These people may want to undergo a swab test to find out if they are positive, so they can have appropriate care, and for them to also trace the people they may have come in contact with. 

Dr. Kwek adds, “Regardless of the test result, they should still quarantine for 14 days from the date of the last exposure to a confirmed case, to monitor for symptoms and prevent others around them from potential infection.” 

For family members taking care of their patients, Dr. Kwek suggests, “Wear a disposable mask and gloves if you have to deal directly with the patient, and don’t forget to throw away the mask and gloves with every use. Wash and sanitize your hands thoroughly and frequently. And even if you’re all masked up, always maintain a distance of at least 6 feet (2 meters) from the patient.”

“Please don’t neglect yourself,” she adds. “Eat nutritious food, supplement your meals with vitamins, exercise regularly, get adequate sunlight and fresh air, and give yourself time to rest and recharge.” 

Dr. Kwek strongly suggests limiting prolonged face-to-face encounters with the rest of the family members and outsiders to prevent possible infection. 

Finally, it pays to be cognizant of warning signs. Seek emergency medical care immediately if the family member has trouble breathing or is breathing very fast, has persistent chest pain, unable to stay awake, or has pale lips or nail beds. 

How to care for a COVID-positive family member

A home pulse oximeter can also be used to monitor a patient’s oxygen status. According to MakatiMed, decreasing levels to less than 94 percent in those with previously normal readings is a warning sign of disease progression and would require additional medical intervention.

To help patients at home, MakatiMed offers TeleMD consultation services to help them manage mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. Patients can choose from five or 10 teleconsultation sessions inclusive of COVID Care Packs. For more information, call (02) 8888-8999 local 2189 or 2832 or email MMCHealthHub@makatimed.net.ph.

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