06 June 2020 – Strategies being implemented for home-based management of mild cases

Type of Intervention: Guidance, Specific Action
Sectors Involved: Health
Level of Jurisdiction: State (Lagos)
Lead People/Agency: The Lagos State Government

Overview: Strategies being put in place for the commencement of home- based management of asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 cases. Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this at a news briefing to give situation report on COVID-19 management in Lagos. He explained that the government was working on parameters to integrate home-based care to the isolation strategy in the management of cases, stressing that asymptomatic and mild stage of the infection would now be managed at home, rather than isolation centres. This would help decongest the isolation centres which can then have enough spaces to admit moderate to severe cases only.
Full details here: https://guardian.ng/news/lagos-commences-home-based-care-for-asymptomatic-covid-19-cases-management/

Type of Justification: Advice of INTERNAL government advisory committee or group, Perception of an increased threat
Source of Evidence or Justification: The threat of the isolation facility spaces running out (yet filled will asymptomatic/mildly ill patients) while more severely ill patients are left to die at home for lack of bed spaces at isolation centres.
Evidence/Justification: Professor Abayomi pointed out that home-based care is necessitated by the increasing numbers of positive cases in the community adding that with the increasing numbers of positive cases, the possibility of running short of bed spaces in isolation facilities cannot be ruled out, making it imperative to opt for home-based care for people who have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic to the infection. Then, more-ill patients can be managed at the isolation facilities to reduce mortality.