By Chantalé Fletcher
TOBAGO’s home isolation programme has been restructured in order to assist in terms of the process flow of Covid-19 suspected persons.
This according to General Manager of Primary Care at the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) Dr Roxanne Mitchell at the Tobago Division of Heath, Wellness and Family Development virtual presser on Thursday.
Dr. Mitchell said, “The home isolation programme began… on June 6 with two nurses and 34 clients however by the June 16, the programme was restructured to assist in terms of the process flow.”
She said, “We continue to review the programme as we go along.”
Dr Mitchell said, “The programme consists of a Coordinator, Nursing Manager, a Physician, six Nursing Monitors, a Clerical Assistant, and two nurses as part of the mobile team delivering devices to persons in the home isolation programme.”
She explained that programme’s structured examined clients for home monitoring or home isolation, the provision of information and medical devices to clients.
Clients are monitored twice daily whereas their psychosocial needs are assessed; likewise, the management at home, transferring to State Facilities in the Accident and Emergency Department, Green Room and TREK, transportation of those clients and how home isolation and quarantine is ended.
Dr. Mitchell added that, “The majority of our clients are monitored at home, however, there was trend downwards from June, but now we’re beginning to trend upwards again which is a concern.
“For July thus far, we’ve had 30 persons to attend too in terms of social interventions. Out of the 131 on the July 7, we would have had 40 persons who required additional assistance. However, 47% of those required social interventions, 15% required psychological interventions, and we can see that 48% out of the 131 were transferred to the Accident and Emergency for further assistance.”
She also spoke about the process of the home isolation programme.
Dr Mitchell said, “When home monitors call persons, they will be required to state their temperature as they would have been given a thermometer. The delivery nurses will instruct patients on the proper usage of the thermometer, and also provide upon visit an oxygen saturation monitor, which will give patients their heart rate and oxygen saturation.”
Dr Mitchell explained when nurses call, “They would ask you for your temperature, pulse rate, and oxygen saturation, urine output and mental health status. Likewise, other symptoms such as headaches, fever, dizziness would be asked.”
Moreover, she emphasised the importance of cooperation to ensure that each persons receives a timely intervention.
She urged persons to develop a healthy sleep pattern as it helps the body to recover.
Dr. Mitchell revealed that, “Persons who took the vaccine at the Magdalena Grand blood pressures were high before they took the vaccine, but there have been no reports about persons with elevated blood pressures after taking the vaccine.”
She said, “In terms of adverse effects, there weren’t that many; however, there are persons who are reporting various ailments post-vaccination, a week or two after.
“But when we review the cases, some of these persons had these conditions from before, which were just continuations or flair-ups, but not necessarily related to the vaccines. However, to say that the vaccines has caused reactions post, we have not seen that many yet adverse reactions such as anaphylaxis will take place minutes after the vaccines have been administered.”
