Amid surging Covid cases, the growing threat of the Omicron variant, and the emergence of the third Covid wave, Tamil Nadu has got upgraded with the new Covid care protocols. The updation of the protocols was made on Monday - January 3 based on the recommendations from the Directorate of Medical Education, the state government body which administers all government medical college hospitals in the state. The new protocols have come in place in line with the revised guidelines for the Covid hospitalization. 

On December 30, the expert medical committee had given suggestions for the management of the Covid-19 cases in the state and the state health department has enforced the new protocols based on the suggestions. The state health department had shared the protocols of Covid treatment and hospitalization and speaking about the new protocols, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan has said that the aim of the protocols is to ensure the right patient is at the right hospital at the right time. 

He added that the protocols will help the health department in managing the patients and keeping beds in higher centres reserved for critical patients. As per the new protocols, if the unvaccinated people test positive for Covid-19, they must be under institutional care for at least five days, if they have comorbid conditions. They must be under care regardless of the symptoms. All patients with a history of severe Covid must be treated in higher centres.

Pregnant women, lactating mothers, and patients above 60 years should be referred to Covid hospitals, had they tested positive for the pandemic. If the Covid-19 patient has a mild infection with minor or no symptoms, they can be advised to be in home quarantine. For the unvaccinated patients with no symptoms and no comorbidities, they will be advised for home isolation. Patients with the moderate disease must be admitted to a hospital with an oxygen facility. The hospitals should have separate wards for patients and suspected patients. 

Hospitals must run tests of blood count and blood sugar at regular intervals to the patients and the patients will be prescribed oxygen therapy with steroids, antibiotics, and other Covid-19 medications. If patients develop complications, they should be referred to higher centres of care. On the other hand, the Covid-19 patients with the severe disease must be taken to medical college hospitals, dedicated Covid hospitals, and health centres with the oxygen supply for further treatment. After such patients show signs of recovery, the respected hospitals can send them to Covid health centres or care centres with oxygen facilities, so that the other patients who come with severe complications can be accommodated. 

On Sunday, the health department has issued fresh guidelines for hospitalization in light of the spread of the Omicron variant. Health Minister Ma Subramanian has said that as several Omicron cases turn negative within a few days of treatment, the patients can be monitored at home after five days of treatment and a swab test will be taken for the Omicron patients for the third and fifth day and if their results of both the tests turn negative, they will be discharged and advised to be at home quarantine. 

He further said that in light of growing Covid-19 cases, if a Covid-19 person is asymptomatic and vaccinated with two doses, they can be allowed to isolate at home and will be monitored by a medical team. If they had shown symptoms, they will be treated at the Covid-19 care centre and if they have serious complications, they will be hospitalized. He also urged the unvaccinated people to receive the vaccines. He said on Sunday, "In Chennai, 69 per cent of people have taken both the doses and more than 5 lakh people in the city are yet to get the first dose of the vaccine. So far, 8.39 crore doses of vaccines have been administered against Covid-19 in the state. At least 96 lakh people in the state have not taken a single dose and 70 lakh have not taken their second dose."