After the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) decision to order institutional quarantine for Covid-19 patients over 50 years of age drew criticism, the decision has now been reversed. Patients in the 50-60 age group may be allowed home quarantine. However, the previous decision to institutionally quarantine patients older than 60 years will continue to prevail. The decision was made at a state review meeting led by Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday.
A circular issued by the BMC health department on August 20 said that Covid-19 patients over the age of 50 or anyone with comorbidities, regardless of age, will now have to go to the Covid Care Center 2 facilities ( institutional quarantine) to receive treatment and isolation. Until then, previous guidelines allowed home isolation for asymptomatic patients under the age of 60 with no comorbidities and those who had separate sanitary facilities in their homes.
However, the amendment to the previous guideline generated criticism as patients older than 50 years who showed no symptoms and may have been placed in home quarantine still had to be admitted to institutional quarantine. This issue was raised at the state review meeting where instructions were given to revoke the quarantine rules.
Although the decision has been reversed, BMC has now decided to consult the family physicians of patients over 50 who test positive. Suresh Kakani, Additional Municipal Commissioner, said: “Our ward war rooms will now collect additional details from these patients about their family physicians who will be consulted on a daily basis. Patients over 50 will be institutionally quarantined after their family doctors give their opinion or if their condition worsens. “
Kakani added that this is to ensure that patients over the age of 50 receive immediate medical attention when they need it.
Mumbai current average Covid-19 death rate is stagnant at 5.0%; it is well above the national death rate at 1.8% and the state average death rate at 2.97%.
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