At least 508 leave Punjab hospitals

CHANDIGARH: At least 508 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals across Punjab on Friday as the state government moved towards revised guidelines for treating infected people.

In all, 324 people who had returned from Nanded and had tested postive for the virus, were discharged from Amritsar (136), Tarn Taran (107) and Gurdaspur (81) hospitals.

Another 79 patients in Jalandhar, 78 in Hoshiarpur, 46 in Moga, and 21 in Bathinda were discharged from hospitals.

Though the state government's daily Covid-19 bulletin said 82 people were discharged from hospitals, the figure was higher as reports started to pour in from district authorities.

Medical education and research minister O P Soni said people who were discharged were asked to stay in isolation for 14 days. In Amritsar, he said, 51 patients were discharged from SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Das Hospital and 45 from Guru Nanak Dev Hospital. "Hopefully, another 120 patients will soon be cured and discharged," said Soni.

The minister said the mass recoveries were a morale booster for the health department, government and the people who felt the situation was slipping out of hand earlier. Soni said 35,000 coronavirus infection tests had been conducted in the three medical colleges of Punjab. "If the number of patients continues to decline, Punjab government could think of giving more relaxations in lockdown," he said.

According to the revised guidelines, patients who don't have any symptoms for 10 days can be discharged without testing.

A patient, according to the guidelines, only needs to be tested negative if the illness is severe. Batala senior medical officer Dr Sanjiv Kumar Bhalla said all persons who were discharged were instructed to undergo home quarantine for 14 days.

Jalandhar civil hospital medical superintendent Dr Harinder Singh said as per new SOPs, the oxygen saturation level of an asymptomatic patient has to be above 93% without support to be elgibile for discharge.

"COVA app has been downloaded on their mobile phones, through which the health authorities will monitor their movements," Moga deputy commissioner Sandeep Hans said.

200 discharged: State authorities

On an advisory issued by the Union health ministry, Punjab discharged 200 patients on Friday after they spent 14 days in isolation at government health facilities. In the daily evening media bulletin issued by the health department, a figure of only 82 was mentioned

80% patients asymptomatic

In Punjab, about 80% of people infected with the virus are asymptomatic and most of them have completed 14 days in isolation, making them eligible for discharge.

Of 1,932 cases, about 1,200 are pilgrims, of which only 45 have symptoms. Earlier, asymptomatic people tested positive were kept at health facilities for a period 14 days and, thereafter, were tested twice in a gap of 24 hours and if the patient tests positive again, the period was extended.

13 positive, 16 RPF cases removed

Thirteen cases surfaced in Punjab on Friday, taking the overall tally to 1,948. But, the figure came down to 1,932 as cases of 16 RPF personnel who tested positive was added to state pool. Of the new cases, six were from Faridkot, and one each from Ludhiana, Bathinda, Ropar, Fatehgarh Sahib.

( With inputs from Amritsar, Bathinda and Jalandhar)