Covid positive? Choose home isolation with caution

LUCKNOW: Choosing for home isolation after testing positive for covid 19 has its own pitfalls, say health department officials. To highlight the need and importance of hospitalization, they pointed out over 400 cases where condition of patients opting for home isolation worsened and some of them even died.

The health officials cited data to show that over the last 10 days, 473 people who tested positive had returned the ambulances which were sent to their homes to bring them to hospital as part of the covid treatment protocol.

“These people did not refuse hospitalisation when calls were made from the covid command centre. However, when ambulances reached their place, they refused hospitalisation,” officials said.

“Such patients or their family members even gave in writing that they wish to be in home isolation and do not want to go to hospital,” health officials said. The government had provided the home isolation option in July.

Health experts say usually people face problems after 4 or 7-days of testing positive because the virus takes time to multiply and attack organs. “If the body is able to offer resistance, the virus gradually dies down. But if the virus multiplies it starts creating trouble. In about 4 to 7 days, any of these symptoms can manifest. That is why people at times fail to understand the need for hospitalisation,” said Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary general association of international doctors.

“When condition turns serious, oxygen level drops quickly but the person is unable to decide need for hospitalisation until the problem peaks,” said Dr PK Gupta, former president IMA, Lucknow.

Officials say they come across cases on daily basis where those in home isolation require hospitalisation after their condition has worsened.

“Every day we are shifting one or two home isolation covid patients to hospital,” said Yogesh Raghuvanshi, spokesperson of the office of chief medical officer of Lucknow. Over 2500 beds are vacant in 31 facilities in the state capital and officials say there is no problem in getting admission in a covid facility.

The district administration has started a drive to convince such patients, to go to hospital but the number of patients refusing hospitalisation.