Panaji: As per the recent WHO guidelines, the Expert Committee on COVID19, headed by Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, to create a new category of proxy COVID-19 patients, for those who test negative on RT PCR despite showing symptoms.
“As per the recent WHO guidelines, the state of Goa will follow a Syndromic approach – wherein, symptomatic cases with negative RTPCR test to be regarded as proxy COVID-19 case. The decision to create a new category of proxy COVID-19 patients has been taken based on the revelations from the Death Audit Report,” he said.
He said the government shall be encouraging more testing in the state while also maintaining an optimum balance between RTPCR and Antigen Testing.
“We have installed one more Apheresis machine at GMC,” he said.
The expert committee also decided that patients under home isolation to be counselled to look after their mental wellbeing.
The Expert Committee also decided to enhance the testing in the State.
“Patients under home isolation are counselled to look after their mental wellbeing. Strict and efficient monitoring of home isolation patients can be a game-changer to tackle COVID-19 and help bring down mortality. Home isolation kits to be distributed to offline patients as well, who do not have access to register themselves on the portal,” Rane said after the meeting.
He said each family to be given one kit, along with supplementary medicine supply in case more than one member of the family infected with the virus.
“The Purchase committee to finalize the order for procuring additional medicines. We shall be developing a dashboard in association with GEL to monitor the distribution of the kit. Ten nurses to be dedicated for monitoring of home isolation dashboard. ANMS & MPHW to be in constant touch with the patients. The dashboard will have a special tab highlighting 50+ or high-risk patients,” he said.
He said discrete guidelines to be given by the respective health officers to home isolation patients on the correct usage of the kit.
Besides this, Rane added, CT Scan to be added as a protocol for suspected symptomatic patients whose RTPCR is negative.
“South Goa District Hospital to be enhanced further with sufficient manpower and infrastructure.Team Goa will work towards evolving SOPs and protocols to ensure we are one step ahead in tackling COVID-19,” he said.