Practice yoga, eat chyawanprash: Health Ministry issues new protocol for recovered Covid-19 patients

The ministry’s recommendations include daily practice of yoga, morning or evening walks and a tea spoon of chyawanprash with warm water or milk.

Amidst a surge in coronavirus cases across the country, the Union Health Ministry Sunday issued a new ‘Post Covid-19 Management Protocol’ for patients who have recovered from the deadly infection. The ministry’s recommendations include daily practice of yoga, morning or evening walks and a tea spoon of chyawanprash with warm water or milk.

Apart from the medication recommended by allopathic doctors, the Health Ministry also encouraged the use of a number of herbal remedies, such as ‘Ayush Kwath’, ‘Samshamani vati’, ‘mulethi powder’ and warm milk with haldi.

Sharing the extensive list of suggestions, the Health Ministry tweeted, “A holistic approach is required for follow up care and wellbeing of all post-Covid recovering patients.”

India has been witnessing its sharpest rise in new cases registered per day for over a month now. On Sunday, the country reported 94,732 fresh cases, bringing the total caseload to 47,54,357. Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries rose to 37,02,595.

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Here are the ministry’s suggestions for post-Covid follow up care

At individual level

• Continue use of mask, hand and respiratory hygiene and practice physical distancing.
• Drink an adequate amount of warm water.
• Take immunity promoting AYUSH medicine
• Regular housework can be done if health permits. Professional work must be resumed in a graded manner.
• A mild to moderate form of exercise — such as Yogasana, Pranayama and Meditation, breathing exercises and daily morning or evening walks — as much as health permits.
• Balanced and nutritious diet
• Adequate sleep and rest
• Avoid smoking and consumption of alcohol
• Take regular medication for Covid and also for managing comorbidities, as per doctors recommendations
• Monitor temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar, pulse etc. at home
• In case of persistent dry cough/sore throat, do saline gargles and take steam inhalation.
• Look for warning signs like high grade fever, breathlessness, weakness or unexplained chest pain.

At the community level

• Recovered patients should share their positive experiences using social media, community leaders, opinion leaders, and religious leaders for creating awareness, dispelling myths and stigma.
• Take support of community based self-help groups, civil society organisations, and qualified professionals for the recovery and rehabilitation process.
• Seek psycho-social support from peers, community health workers, counsellor. If required seek mental health support service.
• Participate in group sessions of Yoga, Meditation etc. while taking all due precautions like physical distancing.

In healthcare facilities

• The first follow-up visit should be within 7 days after discharge, preferably at the hospital where he/she underwent treatment.
• Subsequent treatment may be with the nearest qualified allopathic/AYUSH practitioners/medical facility of other systems of medicine.
• Patients in home isolation should visit the nearest health facility if they complain of persisting symptoms.