Recommendations COVID-19 positive patients
I have been diagnosed with COVID-19. What should I do?
If the test result is positive, you will receive an email or WhatsApp message informing you of the result. You will need to perform strict self-isolation and notify your close contacts*.
You will be contacted by “Info Covid Ib-Salut” to follow up with you by telephone and to trace your close contacts.
If you have any queries, please contact INFO COVID on (+34) 900 100 971.
Policlínica Ntra. Sra. del Rosario communicates all positive cases daily to the COVID Centre of Ibiza and Formentera and to the Epidemiological Surveillance Service of the Balearic Islands. Your data is then entered into the COVID-19 Positive Patient Monitoring System.
If you feel worse during isolation, you should go to the Polyclinic emergency department and report that you are COVID positive on arrival.
*It is important to determine the people in your environment who can be considered CLOSE CONTACTS. The following are the parameters to help determine this:
- Any person who has been in the same place as you, at a distance of less than 2 metres and for a cumulative time of more than 15 minutes.
- The contact period to be considered:
- 2 days before the onset of symptoms
- In asymptomatic cases confirmed by PCR, from 2 days prior to taking the test sample
Persons who ARE NOT considered to be close contacts should only monitor for possible symptoms and exercise extreme hygiene and safety measures.
Persons who ARE considered close contacts, should SELF-ISOLATE (STAY HOME) and will be contacted by the Health Service.
Procedure for close contacts
If vaccinated
**A person is considered fully vaccinated when they have received both doses (or one in the case of Janssen) and 7 days have passed if they have been vaccinated with Pfizer/BioNTech or 14 days if they have been vaccinated with Oxford/AstraZeneca or Moderna.
In general, asymptomatic persons who are considered fully vaccinated** or who have passed the infection within the previous 180 days are exempt from quarantine. They should avoid contact with vulnerable people, wear masks during social interactions, avoid attending mass events, and self-monitor for compatible symptoms.
If unvaccinated
Those who have had only one dose or none at all.
These persons must undergo a 10-day quarantine (counted from the last contact with the confirmed case).
INFORMATION FOR CLOSE CONTACTS IN FOLLOW-UP OR QUARANTINE
You will be actively monitored for a period of 10 days by the Health Service. During this period, you should be alert to the appearance of any symptoms of the disease (fever, cough or difficulty breathing) in order to act as early as possible, especially to avoid transmitting it to other people.
You will also be informed that you must take your temperature twice a day. The person in charge of your follow-up will contact you about these measurements and your state of health.
The remaining measures to be taken are described in the section PATIENT INFORMATION.
Preventive measures for COVID-19 cases
Patient information
- Do not leave the house until instructed to do so by health professionals.
- You should stay in a non-shared room for individual use. If this is not possible, stay in a place where you can guarantee a minimum distance of two metres from the people living with you.
- You should keep the door to the room closed.
- The room must have adequate ventilation, direct to the street. There should be no air flow coming from the heating or cooling system.
- In the room you should have a rubbish bin, with a pedal-opening lid, and inside it a plastic bag for waste that closes tightly.
- It is advisable to have a non-shared bathroom for individual use. If this is not possible, it should be cleaned with household bleach every time you have used it.
- It is advisable to have personal hygiene and hand hygiene products for individual use (soap or hydroalcoholic solution).
- Towels should be changed often and whenever they are damp.
- It is advisable to have a mobile phone or intercom (such as those used to monitor babies) to communicate with other members of the household without leaving the room.
- If you must go to the common areas of the house, wear a tight-fitting surgical mask and wash your hands before leaving the room.
- Always follow respiratory hygiene recommendations: when coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth or nose with a tissue or into your elbow, and wash your hands immediately afterwards.
- You should not receive visitors during the isolation period. If you want to talk to someone you do not live with, do so by telephone or other means.
- If you are a breastfeeding mother, it is advisable to continue breastfeeding. If you have symptoms or confirmed infection, follow the instructions of your healthcare provider. In any case, wear a mask when you are near the baby, and practise thorough hand hygiene before contact with the baby.
- If you have pets, try to keep them at a distance. If this is not possible, wash your hands before and after contact.
- Bed linen, towels, etc. should be kept in a bag until they are washed, do not shake them before washing. They should be washed with your usual detergent at 60-90°C and left to dry thoroughly.
- Disposable material used by the sick person (gloves, handkerchiefs, masks) and any other waste should be disposed of in a plastic bag (Bag 1) in a waste bin provided in the room, which should have a lid and a foot pedal, without any separation for recycling.
- The plastic bag (Bag 1) should be closed and placed in a second rubbish bag (Bag 2), and properly closed before leaving the room.
- Bag 2, with the above waste, should be placed in another rubbish bag (Bag 3) where other household waste can be disposed of. Bag 3 should also be closed and deposited exclusively in the container for non-recyclable waste.
- Always wash hands after handling waste.
- Cutlery, glasses, plates, and other kitchen utensils should be washed in hot soapy water (or preferably in a dishwasher).
- Frequently touched surfaces (bedside table, bed, and other bedroom furniture), bathroom and toilet surfaces should be cleaned with disposable material.
- The cleaner should wear a mask and gloves and wash hands after cleaning.
- For further information on the website of the Health Service of the Balearic Islands (www.ibsalut.es) click Citizenship > Taking care of your health > Coronavirus COVID-19 > Preventive measures for cases of COVID-19.
Information for members of the same household
- Members of the same household should stay in a different room from the patient and should have as little contact with the patient as possible. Above all, they should avoid contact with the patient’s body fluids – especially from the mouth or respiratory secretions – and faeces. They should not share personal items (toothbrush, glasses, plates, cutlery, towels, etc.) with the patient.
- All members of the household should wash their hands with soap and water or an aqueous-alcohol solution after any contact with the patient or the patient’s immediate environment.
- Members of the household and caregivers should be alert to symptoms of acute respiratory infection (fever, cough, sore throat, difficulty breathing); if they appear, call Info COVID (telephone (+34) 900-100-971) or paediatric Info COVID in the case of minors (telephone (+34) 900-700-222).
- The patient must remain in a non-shared room, with the door closed, until the self-isolation is over.
- If it is essential to go to the common areas of the house, the patient should wear a surgical mask and clean their hands before leaving the room. In addition, the common areas should be kept well-ventilated.
- The patient may communicate with other members of the household using a mobile phone or an intercom.
- The patient should wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing, sneezing, or handling tissues used to cover coughs. A water-alcohol solution may also be used.
- Do not invite or allow visitors into the home.
- If there are pets in the house, try to keep them away from the patient.
- It is important that only one person cares for the patient. In addition, the caregiver should not have risk factors for complications of COVID-19: chronic heart, lung, kidney disease, immunosuppression, diabetes, or pregnancy.
- The patient must wear a surgical mask when the caregiver is nearby.
- The caregiver must take extreme precautions every time he/she comes into contact with the patient or his/her fluids (blood, faeces, urine, vomit, saliva, etc.). For this reason, he/she must follow these instructions:
- Surgical Mask: do not touch the mask while wearing it. If it gets wet or stained with secretion, change it immediately. After use, dispose of it in a waste container with lid and wash hands thoroughly.
- Disposable gloves: these must be used for any contact with patient secretions. After use, dispose of them in a waste container with a lid and wash hands thoroughly.
- Wash hands frequently with soap and water or a water-alcohol solution after any contact with the patient or the patient’s immediate environment.
