E-Paper
Kerala plans quarantine for vulnerable sections
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is planning to introduce a “reserve quarantine” mechanism that will involve isolating the most vulnerable people--the aged or those with
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is planning to introduce a “reserve quarantine” mechanism that will involve isolating the most vulnerable people--the aged or those with underlying health conditions and compromised immunity--to monitor their indicators and protect them from contracting the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), a top state official said on Thursday on condition of anonymity.
The mechanism is likely to be introduced as the Covid-19 cases have gone up after dipping for a while. It will be apart from the “track, trace, and treat” regime the state is following. The health department official cited above said the state has realised it is in for a long haul and needs a multipronged strategy to fight the virus.
Kerala was the first state in the country to report a Covid-19 case in January. It was the worst-hit until Maharashtra overtook it as the state with the highest number of Covid-19 cases last month.
Officials believe the state will be able to check a higher mortality rate through the mechanism in case of a community spread of the disease by isolating vulnerable people.
The community spread involves individuals contracting a contagious disease in a particular location without any known contact with other infected individuals or travel history to an area where the illness has been documented.
People above 60 accounted for around 15% of the state’s 33.4 million population as per the 2011 census. According to the latest state economic review, better health care facilities have led to a higher life expectancy in the state and the number of elderly people has grown.
Officials said the mechanism will be implemented through local bodies and they will be tasked with providing medicine, food, counselling and other assistance.
They added many local bodies and grassroots accredited social health activists have started collecting details for the exercise, especially in Covid-19 hotspots.
Dr Jayaprakash Muliyil, a former principal of Vellore’s Christian Medical College, said as the pandemic spreads deeper into the community, “reserve quarantine” is one of the solutions expected to keep vulnerable people safe from the virus. “It does not mean that they will have to be moved to care homes. In their homes, they can be given separate rooms and their interaction with other family members can be controlled,” he said.
He said immunity against Covid-19 depends on whether it generates neutralising antibodies and also how long they remain protective. “We need to accept a fact now... we cannot say when will it end. Not all viruses can be prevented by vaccines either. Some of the viruses like influenza antigens do change frequently, which poses a serious challenge to vaccine makers also,” said Muliyil.
Experts say “reverse quarantine” is possible in Kerala since most people have their own houses and slums are uncommon.
