Attachments
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people around the globe. South Sudan’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 was on 5 April 2020. South Sudan is implementing a range of measures to control the COVID19 outbreak. The Case Management Strategy (Figure 1) recommends home-based isolation for asymptomatic, mild, and moderate cases. Globally, 80% of all COVID-19 patients are projected to fall within this group.
Management of patients at home requires specific support, especially considering household space and population density in the South Sudan context.
Intervention Design
Medair is establishing a phone-based Home Care Support System for patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 and mild to moderate symptoms. Medair will call patients to review their symptoms, follow disease progression, and remotely assess the living situation and vulnerability status of family members. The Home Care Support Team will offer tailored advice to the patients including remote medical advice, psychosocial support, and extensive health and hygiene promotion, including advice on shielding of high-risk family members. The system initially targets patients in home isolation in Juba, with an aim to expand to other areas after a successful Juba pilot.
Objective
Reduce the excess transmission of COVID-19 and provide multisectoral support, including psychosocial support, for high-risk individuals, as well as, suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases and their households to reduce preventable mortality from COVID-19.
Admission criteria
• Symptomatic patients meeting the case definition, with mild or moderate symptoms, including those waiting for test results • Household contacts of suspected or confirmed cases that develop symptoms • Asymptomatic patients tested positive
Medair is working in close coordination with the MoH Case Management Team who will be providing the clinical support. Figure 2 shows the position of the Home Care Support System related to its counterparts. Medair is working with the MoH and WHO data management teams to enrol symptomatic patients directly at the entry point in order to reduce the time delay between identification and follow-up and begin risk communication on IPC and prevention of transmission to other household members at an early stage.
Partner Referral Network
Medair seeks to build a large, multi-sectoral referral system to assist patients in their homes. The Home Care Support System could take a central role in coordination of services and provide the link between the patients and partners offering support. Medair is therefore looking to get in touch with partners who plan to provide practical support to patients at home, including protection,
MHPSS, FSL partners, etc.