The Ministry of Health has released a video with instructions on how home-based Covid-19 treatment should proceed according to its guidelines.
In the three-minute long video clip disseminated on social media on July 5, the ministry says if a person has a fever, cough or sore throat and is suspected to have Covid-19, they should call 115 to get instructions and a consultation with health officials.
It says that when patients with mild symptoms are treated at home, the hospitals have more space for severe cases and can provide better care to them. However, should the illness of a home-based patient develop into a serious condition, they must quickly call for assistance without delay.
Home-based patients must call 115 or contact their medical doctors when they have any symptoms of suffocation or significant breathing problems because that is when they must be hospitalised.
A patient who is undergoing home-based treatment must also have a healthy person to look after them. They can have more than one caretaker, but the number should be kept to a minimum.
“The patient has to wear a mask at all times. The person or relative who looks after the patient must also wear a mask and keep a distance of at least 2m. The best option is to place the patient in a separate room. No visitors are allowed, no matter if they are relatives or friends,” it says.
The patients must get enough sleep, consume enough water and nutritious food, and monitor their health. Household members also need to monitor their own health to see if they have coughing, sneezing, fevers, sore throats or breathing problems.
Patients without any symptoms and with temperatures below 37.5C do not need to take any medicine.
Adults and children weighing 30kg and over with a temperature of 37.5C or higher or muscle pains should take 500mg of paracetamol three times a day. Children weighing 20-29kg should take 300mg of paracetamol three times a day.
Adult patients and children aged 6 and over who develop other symptoms such as a stuffy or runny nose or cough are advised to take 8mg of bromhexine three times a day or 10mg of cetirizine once a day.
Phnom Penh municipal governor Khuong Sreng said on July 4 that nearly 600 patients are currently undergoing home-based treatment.
On July 5, municipality and health officials and relevant authorities held a meeting to ensure that home-based treatment was working well and being done safely.
Health ministry secretary of state Ngov Kang said in the meeting that while treating the patients at home was good, it needed to be done with responsible assistance from the local authorities.
“The authorities cooperate with health officials and volunteer nurses from Samdech Techo Voluntary Youth Doctor Association [TYDA]. They will form a command station in each district that can assist people rapidly,” he said.
A Covid-19 patient who asked not to be named and was getting treatment at a centre for those with mild illnesses told The Post on July 6 that her son also contracted the disease but was getting treatment as he met the ministry’s requirements.
“I made a request to health officials and authorities for my son to be treated at home and they agreed after we signed a proper contract. The permission was also given due to the fact that my son has someone to look after him at home,” she said.