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Most vulnerable when eating as the mask is off – so eat alone in an open space
There is an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients and the strong suspicions are that the infections are caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant, the Director of the Health Promotion Bureau, Dr. Ranjith Batuwanthudawe told the Sunday Times.
Pointing out that genetic sequencing would have to be carried out to say for sure that the infections are being caused by Delta, he urged people to take all preventive measures.
The number of patients needing oxygen was going up, compared to earlier, said Dr. Batuwanthudawe, dispelling speculation that the Delta variant escapes detection (whether a person is having COVID-19 or not) through RT-PCR testing.
“Don’t believe such rumours. RT-PCR testing is the gold standard, while Rapid Antigen Testing also comes in handy in identifying COVID-19,” he said.
The preventive measures people should take are:
- Wear a face-mask properly at all times, whether vaccinated or not vaccinated, when out of the home. The mask should not be below the nose or the mouth or around the neck, but covering the nose and the mouth securely.
- Resort to hand hygiene frequently when out of home and after touching any surface.
- Avoid touching the face at any cost as the virus enters the body through the nose, mouth or eyes.
- Strictly keep a distance of 1 metre when out of home.
- Avoid closed spaces.
- Avoid gatherings scrupulously, if possible even small gatherings.
- If working out of home, eat alone. This is the best option as this is the time the mask needs to be removed. Even when eating alone, the place where the food is being consumed should be open and well-ventilated rather than closed.
Dr. Batuwanthudawe stresses that every single person, whether fully-vaccinated, vaccinated with one dose or not vaccinated should take all preventive measures.
Citing a hypothetical example, he says: “Let’s say that 40% are infected, then there would be 60% who are not infected. The non-infected have to practise the much-needed behaviour to safeguard themselves and the infected should practise such behaviour too to ensure that they don’t give it to others.”
“Think of your children,” he tells adults including parents. “Just don’t take the infection home.”
| First-level contacts and more In view of the likelihood of COVID-19 rising exponentially, the Sunday Times asked Dr. Ranjith Batuwanthudawe about ‘first’, ‘second’ and ‘third’ contacts. n ‘X’ is the index case which is the ‘first identified’ case in a group of related cases, in this instance, COVID-19 infections. ‘X’ would be confirmed as positive for COVID-19 either through an RT-PCR or Rapid Antigen Test. The positive person ‘X’ could be in a high-risk/non-high-risk category; be asymptomatic (without symptoms), mildly symptomatic or symptomatic; and have or not have facilities at home for home-based care. After evaluation by health staff, ‘X’ will be sent to an intermediate care centre (ICC), hospital or given home-based care. If ‘X’ is not symptomatic, he/she would be discharged from whatever facility in 14 days. However, if ‘X’ has symptoms, he/she would be kept in whatever facility until the symptoms disappear. n First-level contacts – all those who spent time with ‘X’ within close proximity (closer than 1 metre), whether they or ‘X’ were wearing face-masks or not would fall into this group. This is why people are being urged to keep more than a metre’s distance, especially when out of the home. This applies to offices, markets, supermarkets or anywhere. n Second-level contacts – all those who spent time with the first-level contacts. n Third-level contacts – all those who spent time with the second-level contacts. The protocol thereafter: n The first-level contact goes into self-isolation (quarantine) and undergoes RT-PCR testing usually within a day or two of the index case ‘X’ being diagnosed. If the RT-PCR test is negative, the self-isolation will continue for 10 days. Another RT-PCR test is done on the 10th day. If negative, he/she would be free to resume normal life. If symptoms develop within the time of self-isolation before the 10th day, an RT-PCR test would be done. If any of these RT-PCR tests become positive, the protocols followed for the index case ‘X’ would be applied. n If the first-level contact tests positive for COVID-19, the second-level contacts then move one rung up and become first-level contacts. This is why the second-level contacts should remain in self-isolation until the first-level contacts have been cleared by the first RT-PCR test. The same procedure would follow for the third-level contacts. Referring to a recent case, Dr. Bathuwanthudawe said that one unvaccinated person in a reasonably large office-room environment had got infected. The senior-most vaccinated official to whom he took files for signature was wearing a mask throughout and escaped infection. However, four others, also vaccinated, caught the infection, most probably because they let down their guard as well as their masks.
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