BENGALURU/MANGALURU: With right diagnosis, timely treatment and positive attitude, there is hope for even people in their ripe old age who have tested Covid-positive. In heart-warming incidents, an elderly couple -- 95-year-old R Vasanth, an ex-service man who served the British Army during World War 2, and his wife, 90-year-old Laskhmi Devi, in Bengaluru and 95-year-old Alice Pinto, a co-morbid patient, in Mangaluru were discharged from hospital.
The Bengaluru couple, who tested positive for Covid in April last week, came out of Bowring Hospital on Friday evening. Vasanth and Lakshmi, who live by themselves in Uttarahalli, had developed symptoms of diarrhoea and fever, and they got tested. When the tests came positive, their family members decided not to tell them that they were Covid-positive, but they had been infected by a viral infection that needed medication.
‘Need to remain calm to fight Covid’
BUT as the couple’s symptoms got worse and their oxygen levels started dipping, they were informed that they had Covid and had to be admitted to hospital. Harish S Bandagar, grandson of the couple, said, “Their oxygen saturation level had dropped below 75. It was scary because of their age. We could not get oxygen beds for two days. However, through some volunteers, we got the beds at Bowring Hospital.
When we went there, we saw five Covid deaths. I was scared to get them admitted, but I had no choice. Now, they have come out as fighters.” Vasanth said, “When we got to know that we were Covidpositive it was scary as we are aged and did not know if we could fight this out. But my wife and I decided to take it positively. We took all the medication and treatment, and every day we hoped to recover. We kept thinking that we could fight Covid and we needed to be calm.
The hospital staff were friendly and took great care of us. We were given steroids and we recovered. I feel much better now, while my wife needs oxygen for another week. She, too, seems to be doing well. With a good positive mindset, we can overcome diseases.” In the case of Alice Pinto, who tested Covid-positive last month, the doctors had declared that 60 per cent of her lungs had been infected. But with sheer dedication of the family, her positive attitude and support of doctors, she has recovered completely.
Her son Agnel Pinto, who also tested positive, said that his mother got infected in April and she recovered after 14 days. “For six days she had fever and we admitted her to Fr Muller’s Hospital. We were initially worried as she has high sugar too. During her six-day stay at the hospital from April 15 to 21, she was on oxygen for just one hour. We kept observing her saturation levels.”
Fewer tests leading to dip in cases: cong
The Opposition Congress on Saturday hit out at the State Government, accusing it of instilling a false sense of confidence among the people by claiming that Covid cases have reduced in the state. Former CM Siddaramaiah stated the numbers have come down only because of reduced testing. p3