Suppose you live with a person displaying symptoms of a viral infection or has tested positive for a virus but isn’t sick enough to be admitted to the hospital. In that case, several precautions must be taken to ensure that you or the other people in the house are not infected by the virus and to stop its spread. While this may seem confusing, following a series of protocols and steps, like wearing PPE gloves or picking a room to isolate the patient, could prove very useful and help you stay safe while allowing you to care for the patient. This article presents a handful of the most important safety precautions to limit the virus’s spread.
 Designating a ‘Sick Room’ to Isolate the Patient
The infected person should stay in a bedroom with an attached bathroom to prevent people living in the house from sharing the common bathroom, which could prevent the virus from spreading and infecting the other residents. Unless necessary, no one must enter and spend time in that room. It is best to keep any pets away from that room too. To maintain the good air circulation in the room, keep the windows open or turn the air conditioner on.
If there is only one bedroom in the house, give it to the patient, and find yourself a couch or an air mattress to sleep on temporarily.
 Allocating a Sick Bathroom
Just as it is in the case of the bedroom, allocate a separate bathroom to the patient. If there is just a single bathroom, keep the windows open, run the ventilation fan if there is one and clean the surfaces periodically. Keep a disinfectant handy, and if possible, ask the patient to spray any surfaces they may have gotten in contact with. Avoid sharing items at all costs.
Using Preventive Gear When Coming into Contact with the Patient
If the virus is mild, wear a mask and gloves and keep a sanitiser handy when contacting the patient for any reason. If the virus is serious, purchase a PPE kit and use PPE gloves, goggles, face shields, and so on to prevent any chance of getting infected and disinfect them thoroughly after the interaction.
Keeping Track of Their Symptoms
Periodically check the patient’s vitals, like blood pressure, heart rate, pulse, oxygen saturation levels, blood sugar levels, etc., to prevent complications. Maintain the readings in the chart, and if any new symptoms present themselves, get in touch with a physician.
Cleaning the House and Keeping It Ventilated
Most airborne viruses linger in the air for a long or can land on surfaces and infect a person directly or indirectly. Hence, every part of the house that the infected person may have come in contact with must be disinfected as soon as possible. Also, keeping as many windows as possible open would help maintain the airflow, which can carry away contaminated air. Run the fan for as long as possible, and point a freestanding fan towards an open window to drive the air outside.
Saying No to Visitors
To prevent the spread of the virus, it is best to avoid hosting guests and visitors at home. It is best to get in touch with them virtually and, if required, engage with the outdoors while maintaining sufficient distance from each other and avoiding all physical contact.
While such a situation might be mentally and physically demanding, if proper care and precautions are taken, like disinfecting the surfaces and wearing PPE gloves, there would be very little to worry about. If the situation gets bad or hard for you to handle, it is best to have the patient admitted to a hospital where trained professionals can care for them in a secure environment.
