Most vaccinated Covid patients will be allowed to recover at home
They should not have household members above the age of 80 or who are in other vulnerable groups
Most people who are vaccinated and contract Covid-19 will be put on home recovery from today, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday.
This care management model will apply to those who are fully vaccinated, aged 12 to 50 years old, have mild or no symptoms, and have no severe comorbidities or illnesses, it added.
They should also not have household members above the age of 80 or who are in one of the vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, those with a weakened immune response or those with multiple comorbidities.
Comorbidity refers to the presence of two or more diseases or medical conditions.
The latest move "will reserve our hospital capacity for those who truly need the medical care so that we can continue to provide appropriate care for all, even with higher infection numbers", said MOH.
When a person tests positive, home recovery can start immediately if he meets the criteria.
The individual will need to set aside a room with an attached bathroom, said MOH.
Covid-19 patients on home recovery will undergo an initial remote assessment by a telemedicine provider on the first day of their home recovery to ensure they are clinically well.
These individuals will also be issued an isolation order and may be tagged with an electronic monitoring device to ensure that they remain in their designated room at home.
Covid-19 patients on home recovery may contact the designated telemedicine service provider to arrange for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab on Day 6 of the illness to end the home recovery period sooner, said MOH.
If the test result meets the discharge criteria - a negative test or low viral load - patients can be discharged from home recovery on Day 7. Otherwise, the home recovery period ends on Day 10 without further tests, so long as the patient is well.
DISCHARGE
After discharge, Covid-19 patients will no longer be subject to any movement restrictions, although they should still minimise social interactions for the next seven days, said MOH.
Yesterday, MOH said quarantined individuals who received quarantine orders before Sept 11, have completed 10 or more days in quarantine and have a negative PCR test result will progressively have their quarantine orders rescinded earlier.
They then have to continue to self-administer antigen rapid tests from Day 11 to Day 14 of their date of last exposure.
For less sensitive infection cases, an SMS will be sent to all newly confirmed Covid-19 cases, notifying them that they are required to tell their household contacts to register themselves as household close contacts through an online portal (go.gov.sg/quarantinereg).
Close household contacts must also provide the last date of exposure with the Covid-19 case and a contact number.
They will then receive an electronic quarantine order that will indicate the quarantine period and provide instructions on booking a PCR test. They can then go online to schedule entry and exit PCR tests - for the start and end of the quarantine period - at a regional screening centre near their home.
People whose homes are not suitable for quarantine can still request to be sent to a government quarantine facility.
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