Owensboro Health has issued a set of home care instructions for anyone who has been tested for COVID-19 — regardless of the result — as well caregivers and other members of the household.
Information for COVID-19 patients who are not hospitalized
Your specimen will be sent for COVID-19 testing. Your test results, positive or negative, will be called to you by a provider. You need to return to your home for home isolation and follow these directions until a provider tells you that staying at home is no longer required.
- Stay home from work, school, and away from other public places. If you must go out, avoid using any kind of public transportation.
- Monitor your symptoms carefully. If your symptoms get worse, call your provider immediately.
- Get rest and stay hydrated.
- If you have a medical appointment, call the provider ahead of time and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19.
- For medical emergencies, call 911 and notify dispatch that you have or may have COVID-19.
- Cover your cough and sneezes.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home. Also, you should use a separate bathroom, if available. If you need to be around other people, wear a face mask.
- Avoid sharing personal items with other people in your household — like dishes, towels and bedding.
- Clean all surfaces that are touched often — like counters, tabletops and doorknobs. Use household cleaning sprays or wipes according to the label instructions.
Information for caregivers and household members of COVID-19 patients
- Limit contacts to only people caring for the patient. Use a separate bedroom/bathroom, if possible. Limit contact with the elderly and those who have weak immune systems or chronic health conditions.
- Make sure that shared spaces in the home have good airflow. Open windows or use an air conditioner, if possible.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer which contains 60-95% alcohol. Use soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Wear a disposable facemask when in the same room as the patient.
- Wear a disposable facemask and gloves when you touch or have contact with any body fluids. Throw these away after use and do not reuse. Wash hands.
- Avoid sharing household items such as dishes, glasses, cups, towels and bedding.
- Clean all “high-touch” surfaces using household disinfectants on counters, tables, doorknobs, bathroom sink/tub/shower, toilets, phones, etc. Also, clean any surfaces that may have body fluids on them.
- Cleaning Instructions:
- Follow the directions provided on cleaning product labels.
- Wash laundry well. Remove and wash clothes or bedding that have body fluids on them. Wear gloves while handling soiled items and keep these items away from your body. After handling soiled items, remove your gloves and throw them away. Wash your hands.
- Place all used disposable items in a lined container before disposing of them with other household wastes. Wash your hands after handling these items.
- Monitor the patient’s symptoms. If they are getting sicker (trouble breathing, chest pain), call their doctor and tell the office staff that the person has, or is being tested for, COVID-19. If the patient has a medical emergency and you need to call 911, let dispatch know that the patient has, or is being tested for, COVID-19.
- Monitor your own health for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, (fever, cough or shortness of breath). Call your doctor or hotline number (1-877-888-6647) before going to a hospital or clinic to describe your symptoms and let them know that you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19.
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Click here for all of our coronavirus coverage.
The Owensboro Health coronavirus hotline is available 24/7 by calling 877-888-6647. Call the hotline before seeking in-person care. More information from OH can be found here.
For the latest information and data on COVID-19 in Kentucky visit kycovid19.ky.gov or dial the Kentucky state hotline at 800-722-5725.
For the latest health guidelines and resources from the CDC, visit their website here.
