MYSURU: In Mysuru district, 62% of the total Covid-19 patients have opted for home isolation. This is because these patients — some of whom are asymptomatic and some with mild symptoms — prefer the comfort of their homes to staying in a hospital.
According to health officials, of the total 3,579 active cases in Mysuru as on August 5, over 2,227 persons have opted for home isolation while 240 are isolated in the dedicated Covid hospital, 87 at Covid Healthcare Centres, 776 at Covid Care Centres, 201 at private hospitals and 48 at private Covid centres.
With more people opting for home isolation, it has helped reduce the burden on hospitals and helped patients with severe symptoms and medical emergencies get beds on time.
However, officials seem to be worried as more people are now opting for home isolation and they feel it can put their lives at risk if they fail to report to the authorities concerned if their symptoms worsen.
Till date, there have been no fatalities in home isolation cases. However, there have been instances where a few patients have been shifted to different facilities following complaints of increasing symptoms.
DC Abhiram G Sankar said that though people opting for home isolation is helping in getting beds for critical care, he is concerned as the numbers are higher than what he expected.
When asked if there are any plans to provide real-time bed availability data in the public domain, Abhiram said, “Real-time bed data is something we are still working on.” Meanwhile, a patient who had opted for home isolation and who recovered said, “I opted for it as I had mild symptoms and live alone. I was able to recover as I followed home isolation guidelines and had guidance from my doctor. Most people opt for home isolation, but fail to take necessary precautions.”