95% of Covid-19 patients in Rwanda treated at home

KIGALI – A majority of people diagnosed with Covid-19 in Rwanda are being treated under home-based care, the Health Ministry said yesterday as the country battles the latest surge in cases, Anadolu Agency reported.

According to ministry guidelines, Covid-19 patients treated at home are advised to isolate themselves and avoid any contact with the people they live with.

“Out of more than 4,000 active Covid-19 cases in the country, 95% are receiving treatment at their homes. Only a few are admitted in different hospitals and other treatment centres,” said Health Minister Daniel Ngamije.

Those under home-based care are monitored daily with the help of community health workers to ensure they receive treatment and do not violate quarantine measures, he said.

The patients are also given a toll-free line to call in case of emergency.

Japhet Gakuba, a resident of the capital Kigali who recovered from coronavirus at home, said receiving care without necessarily being away from home reduces stress that comes with the coronavirus-positive status.

Meanwhile, Ngamije said Rwanda has the capacity to admit 500 patients under intensive care.

Besides the coronavirus treatment centres, hospitals across the country keep at least 10 intensive care unit beds ready to handle Covid-19 emergencies, he explained.

The government last Saturday launched mass tests for the elderly and high-risk groups in Kigali, where 220 people were diagnosed with the coronavirus out of 4,500 tested on the first day.

The mass tests, which ran through yesterday, targeted more than 20,000 people across Kigali.

Julien Niyingabira, a ministry representative, told Anadolu Agency that free rapid tests help health authorities determine the prevalence of the virus in the city.

The Rwandan cabinet last week imposed another 15-day lockdown on the capital due to a surge in cases.

As of Sunday, the east African country’s confirmed cases reached 12,975, with 4,381 active cases and 174 deaths.

The government recently inaugurated a new Covid-19 treatment centre in Kigali, which has significantly improved case management, offering the highest standard of oxygen therapy.

Many coronavirus patients in Kigali and surrounding areas are admitted to the new facility, with a capacity to admit about 140 patients in its intensive care units. – Bernama, January 26, 2021