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According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), at least 80 per cent of coronavirus patients may be asymptomatic or showing mild symptoms. The CDC said that around 40 per cent of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US were asymptomatic. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope confirmed that Bollywood actor and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter Aaradhya Bachchan, eight, have tested positive for COVID-19, however, the mother-daughter duo are asymptomatic and can be quarantined at home.
Ash and her daughter Aaradhya tested positive for coronavirus a day after her husband Abhishek Bachchan and father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan had been hospitalised after being tested positive for COVID-19 with mild symptoms. Meanwhile, Ash’s mother-in-law Jaya Bachchan had tested negative for the virus. In view of large asymptomatic cases being detected across the country, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had recently revised the guidelines for home isolation of very mild or pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 cases.
Several studies have reported coronavirus infection in patients who do not show symptoms (asymptomatic) and in patients not yet symptomatic (pre-symptomatic). It’s challenging to identify asymptomatic cases because these patients do not know that have the virus unless they are tested. Unfortunately, the prevalence of asymptomatic infection as well as the detection of pre-symptomatic infection is not yet well understood because they are not routinely tested.
Some studies have shown that asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID-19 patients have the same contagiousness, exposing a far greater portion of the population to the virus and increasing the risk of late diagnosis as well as mortality. Also, a study in Wuhan, China, claimed that asymptomatic COVID-19 infection can result in silent lung damage. According to the researchers, enlarging COVID-19 testing to the general population using rapid testing appliances and adhering to guidelines is the key to combat the virus.
Home management for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients:
“Asymptomatic cases form 70-80 percent of COVID patients. They have very less or no symptoms but test positive for COVID-19 infection,” said Dr Tejas Suresh Rao, Consultant - Internal Medicine - Columbia Asia Referral Hospital, Yeshwanthpur, Bengaluru.
Dr. Rao suggests a few things to keep in mind if you’re for caring for COVID-19 patients with no or mild symptoms at home:
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Nutritious diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and warm fluids.
- Multivitamin with zinc and vitamin C daily for 10 days
- Careful disposal of food plates.
- Proper hygienic such as wearing N95 masks all the time at home and washing hands frequently with soap and water, or using good hand sanitisers.
- Careful disposal of food plates.
- Regular check of temperature and spo2 monitoring and informing health authorities if they have low saturation ( less than 94) or high temperature.
- Strict home isolation with no contact with any family member, only one person to be available for giving them food and clothes with adequate distance maintenance of 3 feet.
- The bottom line is, COVID-19 is a new disease and there’s still a lot that is unknown about this illness and the virus that causes it. However, staying updated on current development and taking all possible measures can help you stay safe.
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