At a time when Telangana Health officials are bracing up to treat more patients and track all close contacts of COVID-19 positive patients, health officials from Kerala — where three COVID-19 positive patients were successfully treated — have lessons to offer, which could give huge assurance to patients and suspects.
Apart from medicines administered as part of symptomatic treatment for COVID-19 patients, the Kerala officials said that relieving stress among patients whose anxiety levels will shoot up, nutrition and warm oral fluids, psychological counselling and emotional support, are part of the treatment.
Kerala’s Nodal Officer for Public Health Emergencies (Corona & H1N1), Dr. Amar Fettle said that besides giving symptomatic treatment such as paracetemol, they dedicated a team of counsellors who provided psychological support.
As the infectious disease is spreading aggressively, COVID-19 positive patients are scared for their lives leading to high levels of stress. The official said that the stress could worsen cold.
“The counsellors were trained about COVID-19, and questions that patients might frequently ask. Each patient had a dedicated counsellor to gain trust over time. Besides, all doctors gave huge emotional and psychological support. They were trained how to manage patients, how to behave to allay anxiety (among patients),” Dr. Amar Fettle said.
