Gov’t now discouraging home quarantine for COVID-19 patients

MANILA, Philippines — The government is now discouraging home quarantine for mild COVID-19 patients, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Sunday, citing the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus inside the same household.

Instead, Nograles, who is also the co-chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, said COVID-19 patients, even those asymptomatic and mild, will be asked to stay in temporary treatment and monitoring facilities.

“Ang dangerous kasi sa home quarantine, magkakahawaan. Mas malaking chances na magkahawaan dun sa kanyang pamilya o kung saan siya nakatira,” Nograles said in an interview over dzBB.

(The dangerous thing about home quarantine is that COVID-19 is contagious. There will be a greater chance that a patient may infect other members of the family.)

The Department of Health (DOH) allows patients deemed asymptomatic or with mild symptoms to quarantine at home, provided that they have their own room and bath and are monitored by barangay health workers.

The Philippines so far has 54,222 confirmed COVID-19 infections, including 14,037 recoveries and 1,372 deaths.

Of the 38,324 active cases or currently ill patients, a vast majority or 35,348 persons (92.2 percent) have mild symptoms while asymptomatic patients account for 2,619 or 6.8 percent

The other 257 cases (0.7 percent) are severe while the remaining 100 patients (0.3 percent) are in critical condition.

As of July 10, data from the DOH showed that over 74 percent or 52,223 beds are still available in COVID- LIGTAS centers which are community-managed facilities dedicated to quarantine or isolation of suspected COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, 1,958 beds (61 percent) are still available in MEGA LIGTAS COVID-19 facilities such as the Philippine International Convention Center, World Trade Center, Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Ninoy Aquino Stadium, and the Philippine Arena — all managed by the government.

JE