Private hospitals in Bengaluru bat for micro-containment

Private hospitals have asked the State Government to focus more on micro-containment zones so that coronavirus spread is curbed and normal activities can be resumed outside the containment zones. Currently, there are fewer than 100 micro containment zones in the city. The BBMP had some time back reclassified the micro containment zones as places with three or more cases.

The Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA) submitted a report to the Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Monday which stated that it was necessary to focus on effective testing, tracing treatment, surveillance and clear messaging. The tracking-tracing network should be given better training and strict enforcement in the micro containment zones should be implemented.

The private hospitals body has recommended the government against the usage of Dexamethasone. They were against the use of dexamethasone or other systemic glucocorticoids to treat outpatients with mild to moderate covid who do not require hospitalization or supplemental oxygen. “There is currently a lack of safety and efficacy data on the use of these agents, and systemic glucocorticoids may cause harm in these patients. Patients who are receiving dexamethasone or another corticosteroid for other indications should continue therapy for their underlying condition as directed by their health care providers. In rare cases, patients with covid who require supplemental oxygen and hospital admission may need to be discharged from the emergency department (ED) due to scarce resources. For these patients, the Panel recommends using dexamethasone 6 mg PO once daily for the duration of supplemental oxygen (dexamethasone use should not exceed 10 days) with careful monitoring for adverse events,” said the report.

The report was against the use of antibacterial therapy. The Panel recommends against the use of antibacterial therapy (azithromycin, doxycycline) for outpatient treatment of covid in the absence of another indication. Anticoagulants and antiplatelet therapy should not be initiated in the outpatient. The Panel also recommended against the use of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine with or without azithromycin, lopinavir/ritonavir, and other HIV protease inhibitors for outpatient treatment of covid.

However, there was no conclusive decision on Remdesivir as trials have produced conflicting results on the drug. “The panel finds the available evidence insufficient to recommend either for or against routine treatment with remdesivir for all hospitalised patients with moderate covid. But, the panel recognises that there may be situations in which a clinician judges that Remdesivir is an appropriate treatment for a hospitalised patient..”