Home isolation of Covid-19 patients begins in Mysuru

MYSURU: Isolating Covid positive patients at their homes has started in Mysuru, but on a small scale. Though healthcare workers are given this option, the district administration has extended this facility even to others, provided they meet all criteria. Even patients are allowed to stay in private hospitals.
To start with, four patients, all aged between 23 and 28, have been put on home quarantine while less than a dozen patients are being treated at private facilities. Five patients including a taluk official are being treated at home in Mysuru of the 250 plus case active cases.
According to officials, all those under home quarantine are doing fine and round the clock monitoring is being done.
Earlier, only health care workers were allowed to be treated at home given that they know the precautions to take. An infected physician too is given treatment at home.
Deputy commissioner Abhiram G Sankar confirmed that the home quarantine initiative began on a small scale on Wednesday. A team of officials are keeping track of patients regularly through tele verification and by visiting homes, he said.
This has alleviated the burden on the Covid hospital that is full of patients. The 250-bed district hospital that was yet to be inaugurated was converted into a Covid hospital.
District health officer Dr R Venkatesh said the Covid hospital is full as the number of cases is going north. “We have identified the neighbouring ESI hospital to house Covid patients. There are about 100 beds available,” he said.
An official claimed a centre belonging to a higher education institution on the city’s outskirts has been identified for any emergency in case there is a spike in patient numbers.