CHENNAI: On Friday evening, as fresh Covid-19 case count in Chennai once again went into four figures after a gap of a week, the city notched up a significant statistic: more than 1 lakh recovered patients.
Officials say this is a significant milestone for the city which has recorded 1.14 lakh cases till date. As on date, the recovery rate is around 88%.
However, the civic body is yet to follow up on these recovered patients and take note of the various health complications that many of them are showing, even two to four weeks after getting discharged.
AK Ashok, 28, a resident of Tiruneermalai on the southern outskirts of Chennai, said he was discharged from Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital and sent to KPP Park Covid Care Centre and from there home, in a span of 10 days. “This was despite me having continuous flu. I continue to have fever on and off even after five days since my discharge. No government official has followed up with me,” he said. He continues to report pain in the back and knees apart from the fever.
Recovered patients have also reported other issues. For instance, patients who have been symptomatic and recovered after admissions under intensive care are showing a variety of issues like vascular complications, myocardial infarction and also post-traumatic stress issues like bad dreams and depression. “In some cases, patients are also reporting neuropathy (damage or dysfunction of nerves) and muscle imflammation,” said Dr Vijayalakshmi Balakrishnan, infectious diseases specialist at Kauvery Hospital.
Some government officials told TOI that they suspect they were infected twice.
However, experts have said that is not possible. When asked about follow-up mechanism for recovered patients, a senior corporation official said the civic body’s focus was now on continuing to track, test and treat as was the current protocol. “We will first finish this phase as it is the most critical,” the official said.
A follow-up phase would have to be taken up by government officials at a higher level in a collective manner, he added.
Dr Vijayalakshmi also said that hospitals in the city were still flooded with patients. “Apart from fresh cases in neighbouring districts, many patients who recovered in June and July are returning with complications,” she said. There was a lot of data but doctors faced a shortage of time to analyse it, though she has started some efforts on putting out some papers.
Dr K Kulandaiswamy, retired director of public health, said recovered patients should rest for 14 days and consult with their doctors regularly in case of specific complications. “It can be done over telephone as well. There is no need to worry,” he said.
Officials say this is a significant milestone for the city which has recorded 1.14 lakh cases till date. As on date, the recovery rate is around 88%.
However, the civic body is yet to follow up on these recovered patients and take note of the various health complications that many of them are showing, even two to four weeks after getting discharged.
AK Ashok, 28, a resident of Tiruneermalai on the southern outskirts of Chennai, said he was discharged from Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital and sent to KPP Park Covid Care Centre and from there home, in a span of 10 days. “This was despite me having continuous flu. I continue to have fever on and off even after five days since my discharge. No government official has followed up with me,” he said. He continues to report pain in the back and knees apart from the fever.
Recovered patients have also reported other issues. For instance, patients who have been symptomatic and recovered after admissions under intensive care are showing a variety of issues like vascular complications, myocardial infarction and also post-traumatic stress issues like bad dreams and depression. “In some cases, patients are also reporting neuropathy (damage or dysfunction of nerves) and muscle imflammation,” said Dr Vijayalakshmi Balakrishnan, infectious diseases specialist at Kauvery Hospital.
Some government officials told TOI that they suspect they were infected twice.
However, experts have said that is not possible. When asked about follow-up mechanism for recovered patients, a senior corporation official said the civic body’s focus was now on continuing to track, test and treat as was the current protocol. “We will first finish this phase as it is the most critical,” the official said.
A follow-up phase would have to be taken up by government officials at a higher level in a collective manner, he added.
Dr Vijayalakshmi also said that hospitals in the city were still flooded with patients. “Apart from fresh cases in neighbouring districts, many patients who recovered in June and July are returning with complications,” she said. There was a lot of data but doctors faced a shortage of time to analyse it, though she has started some efforts on putting out some papers.
Dr K Kulandaiswamy, retired director of public health, said recovered patients should rest for 14 days and consult with their doctors regularly in case of specific complications. “It can be done over telephone as well. There is no need to worry,” he said.
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