Changes made to home isolation policy – Dr Grandison

With an already noticeable surge in the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus and a predicted increase in coming days, health officials have adjusted the COVID-19 home isolation protocol under the traffic light system.

Outlining the tweaked measures, officials stressed that the Omicron variant was milder than previous strains, which allowed for more people without life-threatening health conditions to isolate at home.

At the same time, residents are being given the assurance that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) will continue to satisfy the demand for genuine accident and emergency cases even if hospitalisation increases during the current surge.

These issues came up for discussion on Friday during an online session hosted by COVID-19 Public Advisor David Ellis, in which members of the media and the public posed questions to several health officials.

Dr Adanna Grandison, Consultant Manager of Home Quarantine and member of the Isolation and Home Quarantine Committee, said home isolation and monitoring will now depend heavily on symptoms of COVID-19 patients and whether they are vaccinated or not and if they have underlying health conditions.

“We will still have our red, yellow and green light system. However, there are some changes in terms of how we handle those patients,” said Dr Grandison.

She explained that individuals falling within the red category are those presenting with severe symptoms including shortness of breath, low oxygen levels and “any organ failure or organ compromise”.

These patients will be sent immediately to the Harrison Point Isolation Centre via ambulance provided by the Ministry of Health regardless of vaccination status.

She explained that those falling in the yellow category will be individuals who exhibit mild to moderate symptoms.

“They are further split into categories – whether this patient is a vaccinated patient or unvaccinated patient, as well as patients who have co-morbidities. We know those co-morbidities can increase the risk of developing severe disease; hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, obesity or any sort of immuno-compromised condition.

“If any of these patients have co-morbidities but do not have any symptoms at this time, these patients will be reviewed in a 24-48-hour period by the home isolation team and then a clinical decision is made,” said Grandison, who explained that if there was any potential worsening of patients with the Omicron variant it tended to show up within the first three days of the illness.

“So we will review them at that time and make a clinical decision if that patient is going to be safe to continue to stay at home and self-isolate or if we are going to have to send them in for assessment at a facility,” she said.

“In the case of persons who are vaccinated with just a co-morbid status but no symptoms, those are persons who will be monitored as well. We will not be transporting at this point patients who are considered yellow. This is time for reassessment of those patients, monitoring them a little closer and then making a clinical decision if it is that we would need to send them into the facility,” she explained.

She further noted that those falling in the green category, which is the biggest group, are individuals without symptoms or with very mild symptoms “such as a little sniffle or sore throat”, and are therefore safe to remain at home.

Dr Grandison said however, individuals should be honest about their symptoms and if they have underlying health conditions. She also urged residents okayed for home isolation to report any worsening in their condition by calling the 536-1800 hotline.

“A major switch from the home isolation previous model to the new model includes self monitoring and self isolation,” she said.

Transportation services are available for individuals who require emergency transportation to the Harrison Point Isolation Centre and those who fall within the yellow or green category and are in need of further assessment but do not have their own transportation.

Meanwhile, Dr Clyde Cave, Director of Medical Services at the QEH, gave the assurance that while the hospital will have to “respond differently” as it relates to the COVID-19 management, it was not prepared to accommodate individuals with “a suspicion” of COVID-19 at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department.

“We just ask that if at all possible, before coming to the hospital you call our help desk (536-4800) which is available from seven in the morning to 11 at night. The Accident and Emergency team can be alerted to your arrival and we also have the help desk staff who can give you advice as to whether or not the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is appropriate for you,” said Dr Cave.

He said the hospital continued to put plans in place to adequately deal with out-patient and in-patient care in any likely surge in positive COVID-19 cases on the island.

“We still are trying as far as possible by testing and the appropriate admission criteria not to admit patients into the hospital who are COVID-positive,” he said. (MM)