Caring for someone with COVID-xix at home

Isolation advice to keep families safe

UNICEF South Asia

"What is the deviation between quarantine and isolation?"

Quarantine and isolation are both ways of reducing the spread of COVID-19.

Quarantine is separating people who are not ill themselves, but may take been exposed to someone with COVID-nineteen. The goal is to monitor symptom development in those who are not ill and detect new cases.

Isolation is separating people who take tested positive for COVID-19, or have symptoms of the virus, from other people.

"How do I look after a family member with COVID-19 at home while keeping the rest of the family unit safe?"

If someone in your family has COVID-nineteen and is recovering at abode:

  • The whole household will need to quarantine for xiv days.

AND

  • The person with COVID-19 will need to isolate from the balance of the household for a minimum of ten days from the start of their symptoms. Before they get out isolation they need to have shown no symptoms of the virus for at to the lowest degree 3 days.

This is to reduce the risk of other people in the family unit becoming infected with COVID-19 and end the virus from spreading further.

During this time:
  • The person with COVID-xix should stay in a carve up room from the balance of the household (if possible).
  • Ideally, no-ane in the household should go out the house or interact with others from outside the household. Seek advice from your health worker for further guidance.
  • No visitors should enter your home (with the exception of health workers who may be helping to intendance for your ill family member.)

When a family member living in your home has COVID-19, the risk of other household members becoming infected with the virus is even college.

Considering of this increased risk, we recommend that everyone in the house follows even more thorough precautions than usual when washing their hands — and washes their hands for at least 40 seconds (in line with guidance for healthcare facilities), rather than 20 seconds (every bit we ordinarily recommend).

handwashing

Talk to your wellness worker for support

Caring for your loved one with COVID-xix should be washed in consultation with your health worker. Speak to them to get personalized care recommendations, based on your situation.

You should also talk to your health worker near testing the whole family for COVID-19 (you could already take the virus, fifty-fifty if y'all don't have symptoms).

Programme ahead and stock upwardly

Y'all should also:
  • Make childcare plans in example all caregivers in the household become ill.
  • Plan for how yous will manage food and grocery deliveries to your house during isolation.
  • Stock upwardly on:
    • Surgical masks
    • Household disinfectant containing at to the lowest degree 0.1% bleach (likewise known as sodium hypochlorite)
    • Soap (for handwashing)

You can have the following steps immediately to keep the rest of the family unit safe:

1. Isolate the sick family member

Motility the family member with COVID-xix to a separate room from the residuum of the family (if possible) immediately.

If possible:
  • Cull a room that has natural ventilation, such as a window that tin can be opened.
  • Add a handwashing station or ensure there is plenty of hand sanitizer in their room.
While your family member is isolating:
  • They should stay in their room equally much as possible.
  • They need to wear a mask before anyone enters the room or comes within 1 meter'southward distance of them.
  • They should have their own personal garbage bin inside their room, with a lid that closes. Any personal waste matter, including used tissues and masks, should exist disposed of in this bin.
If they do need to leave the room, for instance to go to the toilet, make certain they:
  • Wear a surgical mask.
  • Keep equally much distance from others in the household every bit possible.
  • Wash their hands with soap and water for at least 40 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, before leaving the room.

Y'all should too ensure expert ventilation in all communal areas.

If your family is unable to stay in split up rooms:
  • Take whatsoever steps you lot can to limit contact between the sick family member and anybody else.
  • Anybody in the room should wear a surgical mask as much equally possible.
  • Anybody should wash their easily regularly with lather and water for at to the lowest degree 40 seconds, or employ an alcohol-based hand-sanitizer
  • Suit the room and then that everyone in the household can keep at least one metre from the sick family unit member's bed.
  • Do not share a bed with the sick family unit fellow member.
  • Practice not share whatsoever utensils or personal items (e.g. forks, spoons, dishes, toothbrushes) with the sick family fellow member.
  • Clean the room with bleach, including all surfaces, at least once a solar day.
  • All surfaces must be rinsed with soap and water or detergent, before rinsing and applying bleach.

Ventilating the room

  • Open up the windows to keep the room well ventilated.
  • Natural ventilation is best, but air-conditioning tin as well be used. However, if y'all are using air workout in the room, the air conditioning unit needs to be regularly inspected and cleaned. Do non use it on recirculation mode.
  • Do not use an air fan — every bit these tin blow air directly from one person to another and aid spread the virus.

2. Identify ane carer for the sick family member

To reduce the take a chance of COVID-19 spreading in your home, it'south important that just 1 person in the firm cares for the sick family members who are isolating.

At the start of your family member's isolation, you need to identify who will be their designated carer. This should be the person in the household who has the lowest gamble of developing severe COVID-19.

  • The carer should be the but person in the house who enters the room where the ill family member is isolating.
  • Most people with COVID-19 will merely develop mild affliction and won't demand whatever direct care while they are isolating. In this situation, the carer won't need to enter the room where the family member is isolating at all. Instead, they should collaborate with the family member from outside the room and get out food outside their door.
  • If your family is sharing a room, the carer should be the simply person who goes within one metre of the sick family unit member — and just when necessary.
  • It's crucial that both the carer and the family unit member with COVID-19 wear a surgical mask whenever they interact and perform hand hygiene subsequently every interaction.

3. Mask up correctly

During your family fellow member'south isolation information technology's really important that the whole family wearssurgical masks correctly to help foreclose infection.

When to wearable a mask
The family member with COVID-19 should wear a mask:
  • Whenever anyone comes into their room.
  • At all times when exterior their room.
The person caring for the family member with COVID-19 should wear a mask:
  • Whenever they provide any intendance to the sick family member. Including leaving nutrient exterior the family member's door.
  • Whenever they enter the room where the family member is isolating.
  • While they are in any communal spaces in the house shared with the family fellow member (e.g. the toilet, hallway).
The rest of the household (including children) should wear a mask:
  • Before they come up into any close contact with the person with COVID-19.
  • While they are in any spaces in the business firm shared with the family fellow member (due east.g. the toilet, hallway).
If y'all are sharing a room with the family unit member with COVID-19:
  • Everyone in the room should vesture a mask as much as possible.

Some countries in South asia take different guidance. Check with your local health authority or wellness worker.

If your kid nether v is required to wear a mask, make sure they are always inside a direct line of sight to you, or supervised past an adult.

How to wear masks safely during isol ation

Surgical masks can merely be used one time. This means they must exist changed and disposed of safely after every apply and when they get soiled or moisture.

At the beginning of the isolation catamenia, brand sure you lot take enough surgical masks in the house for every family member to change them when dirty or moisture every 24-hour interval for the whole isolation period — and a program to become more delivered if you lot run out. Speak to your health worker if yous are unsure how many surgical masks you will need.

You too need to make certain the whole family are wearing their masks correctly and that all masks that have been used are tending of safely and immediately.

Safely putting on your surgical mask:
  • Exercise not use a mask that has previously been worn.
  • Before touching the mask, clean your easily with lather and water for at to the lowest degree 40 seconds, or an alcohol-based manus sanitizer.
  • Inspect the mask for tears or holes. If it is damaged exercise not apply information technology.
  • Use the straps to identify the mask on your face covering your nose, oral fissure and chin.
  • Make sure at that place are no gaps betwixt your face and the mask.
  • Place the straps behind your ears or caput.
  • Practise not cross the straps over your ears or caput, or tie the straps. There take been examples of people doing this to try and make the mask tighter, but instead it can cause gaps at the sides of the mask.
  • Pinch the metal strip so it molds to the shape of your nose.
  • Practise not touch the front of the mask while yous are wearing it. If you accidentally impact it, clean your hands.
Safely taking off your surgical mask:
  • When you lot are ready to remove your mask: clean your easily with soap and water for at least 40 seconds, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Remove the straps from backside the head or ears, without touching the front of the mask.
  • Every bit y'all remove the mask, lean forrard and pull the mask away from your face up.
  • Discard the mask immediately into a strong garbage pocketbook inside a airtight bin.
  • Clean your hands again.

4. Limit all straight and indirect contact with the sick family fellow member

While your loved one is isolating, they should spend as piffling time exterior of their room as possible.

Limit the number of rooms they share with other family members, the time they spend in at that place and the spaces they have to pass through to get there.

The family unit member with COVID-19 should use a split up toilet, bath and kitchen from the rest of the household, if possible.

If you accept to share a toilet or bath:
  • Ventilate the room past opening windows.
  • Spend as little time in the room every bit possible.
  • Use the room individually. No one in the business firm should exist inside at the same time.
  • Clean the sink, taps and toilet after every use past every person.
  • Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 40 seconds later every use.
  • Clean things that the sick person and other people take touched (e.chiliad. door handles, the toilet flush and surfaces) every mean solar day.
If you take to share a kitchen:
  • The carer should prepare the meals for the sick family member and have them to the family member's room for them to eat there, where possible.
  • Avoid using the kitchen at the same time every bit other people in the household.
  • Ventilate the room by opening windows.
  • Clean the kitchen every solar day, paying particular attention to things people touch (e.g. taps, fridge, door handles, surfaces, kitchen tops and tables).
  • If this sick person has to use the kitchen, make clean all surfaces and things they've touched immediately after utilize.
  • Clean your easily thoroughly with lather and water for at least 40 seconds after every use.
Separating physical items

While your family fellow member is isolating theyshouldn't share any concrete items with the balance of the household.

They need to exist given separate utensils to eat with from the residue of the household. These should also be cleaned separately.

Too, make sure they don't share whatever of the following:

  • Toothbrushes
  • Cigarettes
  • Cups
  • Crockery
  • Cutlery
  • Washcloths
  • Bed linen
  • Towels
  • Washcloths
  • Tea towels

Speak to your health worker to get more tailored isolation guidance for your dwelling house and family situation.

5. Clean your home and dispose of waste safely

During your family member'southward isolation you will demand to clean your home regularly, peculiarly high-risk areas.

As well-nigh COVID-19 infections are mild, the sick family member should clean their own room, where possible, to minimize the adventure to other family members.

Thorough and regular cleaning, with household detergent containing bleach, is especially of import if you have an elderly person, or someone at a loftier chance of getting severely ill from COVID-19, in your household.

How to clean surfaces and what to utilize

To clean surfaces effectively:

  • Utilise regular household soap or detergent kickoff.
  • Rinse.
  • And so use a disinfectant containing at least 0.ane% bleach (as well known as sodium hypochlorite) to wipe surfaces.
What to clothing when cleaning
Gloves

You lot should vesture either utility gloves or disposable gloves, depending on what you take available at abode and what you are cleaning.

Utility gloves are usually made of leather, nitrile or heavy latex. They are designed to be strong and long-lasting and provide good protection from chemicals and punctures from sharp objects. They tin can be worn multiple times if cleaned and disinfected correctly.

Disposable gloves are usually made of thin natural rubber latex. They are designed to exist form-fitting, to give the wearer more than dexterity when treatment smaller objects. They provide splendid barrier protection against claret, saliva, oils and grease, but practice not provide adequate protection against punctures. They are widely used in laboratories and healthcare settings and should only be used one time. If y'all have any allergies to latex, talk to a wellness worker about culling options.

Gloves set

Wearable utility gloves and a plastic frock:
  • When cleaning the sick family fellow member'southward room.
  • When handling the ill family fellow member'due south clothing or linen.
  • When cleaning any surfaces the sick family member has touched and rooms that they accept been in.
  • If yous need to mix bleach solutions.

You can besides wear goggles or a face up shield, every bit an extra measure to protect yourself from splashes while cleaning. After use, wash googles and face up shields in lather and water and dry out thoroughly.

Article of clothing disposable gloves and a plastic apron when:
  • Handling any of the ill family member's rubbish or tissues.
  • Handling whatsoever bodily fluids.
Using gloves and protective wear safely
  • Wash your hands before putting on and after removing gloves.
  • Don't touch your face while wearing gloves.
  • Throw away plastic aprons, dispensable gloves and other dispensable PPE (e.grand. frock, mask) after ane utilise.
  • Utility gloves tin be used again, if cleaned with soap and h2o and then decontaminated with bleach.
Cleaning the sick family fellow member'southward room

As most COVID-xix infections are balmy, the sick family member should clean their ain room, where possible, to minimize the risk to other family members.

The surfaces in the room should be cleaned and disinfected at to the lowest degree once a twenty-four hour period. Including:
  • Bedside tables
  • Bedframes
  • Furniture
  • TV remote controls

Pay close attention to high-touch areas, such as light switches and door handles.

Disposing of waste from the family member's room

Your ill family members should have a separate waste product bin in their room for their personal waste (e.g. used tissues and masks) with a lid that closes.

Dispose of their personal waste, along with any cleaning cloths and any PPE yous accept used while caring for them (e.g. disposable gloves) in disposable rubbish bags.

These bags should be placed into another bag, tied deeply and put aside for at least 72 hours before existence put with your external household waste bin.

Make sure all household waste is stored in a strong and completely closed garbage bag before removing it from your home.

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least twoscore seconds, after removing any gloves or handling whatever waste.

Washing the sick family fellow member's bedding and dress
  • Clean the family member'due south clothes, bedsheets and towels regularly using:
    • Regular laundry soap and water, OR
    • a washing auto. Wash at lx–90 °C with a common household detergent.
  • When handling the ill person's laundry, concord it away from your body and clothing utility gloves.
  • Do non milk shake dirty laundry, equally this could spread the virus through the air.
  • Dry out laundry completely before using it again.
Cleaning items that the family unit member with COVID-19 has used

Utensils (dishes, cups and cutlery) that the sick family member has used need to exist cleaned thoroughly after they have been used. You do non demand to throw them away.

When the sick family fellow member has finished using their utensils, they should ideally wipe them down themselves, before putting them outside their room.

If utensils cannot be washed within the room, information technology'south important that the carer wears utility gloves before handling them.

To clean utensils finer:

  • Wash them with soap and h2o.
  • Make sure all items have dried before using them again.
  • Dry thoroughly using a divide tea towel, or in the sun.
  • Ensure other members of the household don't use them.
Cleaning high-risk areas

Clean and disinfect the highest gamble areas of your home at least in one case a day. This includes:

  • Any shared spaces or rooms.
  • Any frequently touched surfaces or objects eastward.thousand. door handles, remote controls.

If you are sharing a bathroom/toilet, information technology needs to be cleaned after every use, by every person, paying particular attending to surfaces and things people touch - for instance, taps and the toilet affluent.

Dispose of all waste from loftier-risk areas in disposable rubbish bags. These numberless should be placed into some other bag, tied deeply and put bated for at least 72 hours before being put with your external household waste bin.

Safely disposing of waste from your domicile

It'due south important that y'all dispose ofall waste product from your household while isolating in a safe way.

  • Dispose of all household waste in a strong and completely closed garbage pocketbook earlier removing information technology from your dwelling house.
  • Brand sure the bag is not damaged or won't get damaged during disposal.
  • Your waste should ideally exist collected past the waste service in your municipality.
  • If this service doesn't be in your area, you tin can also bury waste.
  • Called-for waste should be a final resort.

Brand sure all household waste is stored in a strong and completely closed garbage bag earlier removing it from your dwelling, co-ordinate to your local authority's waste product management guidance.

6. Innovate prophylactic routines for everyone in the household

Everyone in the household should:
  • Wear a surgical mask correctly in the situations described in a higher place.
  • Wash their easily with soap and h2o, for at least xl seconds, even more than usual, especially:
    1. Before and after preparing food.
    2. Before eating.
    3. Later using the toilet, or changing children'due south diapers.
    4. Whenever easily expect dirty.
    5. After any contact with the ill family member, or areas of the house where they take been.
    6. After touching face masks.
  • Dry hands using disposable paper towels or clean cloth towels (don't share cloth towels and replace them every 24-hour interval).
  • Cover their oral fissure and olfactory organ with a tissue when they coughing or sneeze. If they exercise not have a tissue, they should coughing or sneeze into the crook of their elbow, non into their hand.
  • Treat all waste in the business firm as infectious material. Used paper towels, tissues and surgical masks should be tending of immediately into a strong bag, in a bin with a closed lid. Then immediately wash their easily.
  • Avert touching their faces.

If you have young children in the family unit, develop a new routine that incorporates these deportment. Try to make these routines simple and fun, where y'all tin, to aid keep everyone rubber and help children experience more than in control.

7. Care safely for the family member with COVID-19

COVID-19 affects unlike people in different ways and people demand different levels of intendance while recovering. 85% of people get mild illness from the virus and will be able to recover at dwelling house with piffling assistance from their carer.

Talk to your wellness worker for support and guidance on your loved one's situation and the best mode to treat them.

While your family member is isolating, assistance them to:
  • Rest
  • Stay well-nourished
  • Stay hydrated
If your family member is likewise sick or weak to care for themselves and yous need to enter their room to care for them, take these steps earlier yous exercise:
  • Launder your hands with soap and water for at least 40 seconds.
  • Put on your surgical mask correctly, making sure it is roofing your nose and mouth.
  • Avert touching your mask when wearing information technology.
  • Brand sure the sick family fellow member is wearing a surgical mask before you lot enter the room.
Afterward you lot have finished caring for the family fellow member:
  • Remove your mask past the straps and dispose of it immediately.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water for at to the lowest degree 40 seconds.

While caring for your family unit member avoid any direct contact with their torso fluids (especially those from their mouth) and their stool.

If yous need to provide any direct intendance to your loved one (for example to feed them) or handle actual fluids (for case when changing soiled sheets or treatment tissues), make certain you are wearingdisposable gloves and a disposable frock (if available).

Use dispensable gloves safely by:
  • Washing your hands before putting on and subsequently removing your gloves.
  • Only using disposable gloves one time.
  • Disposing of the gloves in a stiff garbage bag that is closed completely after use.

As mentioned, nearly people will recover from COVID-19 at home without needing any medical help. Simply some people do develop more severe symptoms that require medical attention (especially those who are older or have pre-existing health conditions).

While your family member is isolating monitor their symptoms every day, paying special attention If they are in a high-risk grouping.

Seek urgent medical assist if they develop whatsoever of these symptoms:
  • Lightheadedness
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Confusion
  • Trouble waking up
  • Chest hurting

Using pulse oximeters

Yous can also monitor the severity of your loved one's symptoms through using a pulse oximeter. Pulse oximeters are fingertip devices used to monitor oxygen levels.

Talk to your wellness worker for more information and guidance on using pulse oximeters.

"What medicines or treatments should I give my family unit member to assist them recover from COVID-19 at dwelling house?"

Fever, musculus pain and headaches can be treated with paracetamol (always follow the dosage advice from the pharmacy).

A fever can too be soothed with a common cold wet cloth on the brow.

Practice not use antibiotics unless prescribed by a medical doctor. This is because antibiotics care for bacterial infections and COVID-19 is a virus. This means antibiotics have no outcome in treating COVID-19.

However, if your doctor suspects your loved ane might have a bacterial infection on meridian of COVID-19, they may prescribe antibiotics to treat this additional infection.

"Tin I utilise steroids, herbal remedies and oxygen to care for my family member at home?"

Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) only recommends one steroid — Dexamethasone — to treat COVID-19. Withal, they but recommend that this drug is used to treat very serious COVID-19 cases and this should be done in a hospital or a medical facility, not at home.

They too currently recommend against using Hydroxychloroquine and Remdesivir to treat COVID-19. This is because there is currently no evidence that proves there is a do good to using these drugs to treat COVID-19.

Additionally, there is no bear witness that herbal home remedies can care for COVID-19.

WHO too do not recommend giving oxygen to COVID-nineteen patients at home. Oxygen needs to be administered by a professional to be effective and safe. All the same, due to the strain on wellness facilities in Southern asia there may situations where wellness workers prescribe oxygen for people who take been discharged from hospital, to exist used at home.

"How can I protect my family unit'southward mental health during quarantine and isolation?"

An experience with COVID-19 in the family tin exist a lonely and difficult feel, especially for your loved ane with the virus.

It's normal to feel sorry, stressed, scared or angry. You can help protect your family unit's mental wellness during isolation and quarantine by:

  • Staying connected through phone calls, video chats and messaging.
  • Talking about how you are feeling — and really listening.
  • Maintaining a healthy lifestyle — eating properly, sleeping well and exercising regularly.
  • Encouraging yoga and meditation.
  • Looking for online classes or courses that tin help y'all practice at home.
  • Planning your quarantine in advance and setting goals for what you would like to achieve while at home.
  • Reaching out to friends and family unit for back up in delivering supplies.
  • Avoiding too much news and social media.
  • Cooking.
  • Reading.
  • Watching films.

"My child has COVID-nineteen and I don't. How best can I intendance for them?"

Detailed information on caring for children with COVID-19 at home tin be institutehere.

"If everyone in the family has COVID-nineteen, what should we do?"

If your whole family unit has COVID-nineteen, you need to isolate until you are no longer symptomatic. This is a minimum of thirteen days for each person.

During this fourth dimension:

  • Children can stay with their parents, unless they are also sick to care for them or are hospitalized.
  • The family do not need to stay in divide rooms.
  • The whole family should still follow preventive measures to protect other people.
  • Mothers should continue to breastfeed infant children every bit much as is possible and feasible.

"When tin can my family member with COVID-xix terminate isolating?"

Your family member needs to isolate at home until they are no longer infectious to other people. The time this takes differs depending on how astringent your family unit member's illness from the virus is.

WHO recommends that:
If your family fellow member had no symptoms but tested positive for COVID-19:

They need to stay in isolation for x days after testing positive for the virus.

If your family fellow member tested positive for COVID-19 and had symptoms:
  • They need to stay in isolation for a minimum of ten days after the symptoms first began.
  • Before they get out isolation they need to have shown no symptoms of the virus for at to the lowest degree 3 days (including fever and coughing).

This is general guidance from the WHO and does differ in different countries. Information technology's important to bank check with your wellness worker the guidance for your country and make certain you are post-obit this.

"Someone in the house had COVID-19. When tin the remainder of the family unit leave quarantine?"

If a member of the family has COVID-19, the whole household will demand to quarantine for 14 days and keep abroad from the infected family member during this time.

If at any bespeak while quarantining other family members show symptoms of COVID-xix, they should become tested.

If at the end of the quarantine period, the other family unit members accept had no contact with the sick family unit member and have no symptoms, they tin finish quarantine without taking a test.

Again, these are general guidelines and local guidance across countries does differ. Speak to your wellness worker nigh the guidance and when your family can leave quarantine.