14 positive patients negative on retest
Ishtiyaq Ahmed
Srinagar : Despite fast spreading pandemic Covid-19 that has targeted 139 people so far with three deaths already taking place in the J&K UT, none of the patients having Coronavirus infection in Kashmir have been put on ventilator or admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The Authorities here in three major Covid-19- hospitals claimed that patients were recovering fast while repeat test of 14 positive patients has already came negative.
Medical Superintendent SKIMS Soura, Chest Diseases hospital Dalgate, and Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial (JLNM) hospital Rainawari, while speaking to Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), disclosed even though they have been treating Coronavirus patients since March 18 onwards, but none was put on ventilator or admitted in the ICU so far.
“Fortunately we have no coronavirus patient on ventilator or in the ICU. All patients are stable and even I can say majority of them are recovering fast,” SKIMS Soura Medical Superintendent, Farooq Ahmad Jan told KINS over phone.
The MS further said, “So far 329 suspected Covid-19 patients were treated at the hospital. “846 tests were conducted of which 54 tested positive and rest negative. At present we have 28 patients who are admitted in the hospital. But none of them is on ventilator or in ICU,” Jan said.
He said that the condition of one Covid-19 positive patient deteriorated recently but thank God, he recovered sooner than expected. “Otherwise, we were planning to put him on a ventilator but later, we decided not to as his condition improved,” the MS told KINS.
Sources in the SKIMS said that even so far no Covid patients were classified as “critical” and majority of the cases are only “mild”,.
“There is a part of luck involved and above all, it’s God’s mercy on us,” the medicos said. “Once the patient is on ICU, it’s all up to Almighty when he or she would be off the ventilator. Putting a person on ventilator itself means, the patient is very sick.” One of the doctors described.
“Ventilators are required for Covid-19 patients who develop acute respiratory distress syndrome when the lungs are filled with fluids that make it difficult to breathe.
“A ventilator is used when lungs are filled with fluid. Such patients find it very difficult to be oxygenated in a normal way. The only way to manage is to put the patient on ventilator assistance,” said the doctor.
Similarly, at the Chest Disease hospital Srinagar, that was in news for non-cooperation of patients and also for the unhygienic wards for Covid-19 patients in the initial stage, so far 14 patients have recovered after they were tested positive for the deadly virus. “In total, 25 patients were tested positive. Of them 14 recovered after spending time in isolation. Their tests were again conducted and they tested negative,” Medical Superintendent CD hospital Dr Saleem Tak told Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
He said that at present eight positive patients are admitted in its isolation cum quarantine facility and they are gradually improving. “Thanks to Almighty, none of the patients deteriorated to an extent that we could shift them in the ICU or put them on the ventilator. All are improving gradually,” he told KINS.
At the JLNM, where patients even fled amid allegations of lack of facilities including food and toilet facilities, there are 12 positive coronavirus patients including a toddle and her seven-year-old sibling.
“All the 12 patients are undergoing treatment. None has recovered but the condition of none has either deteriorated too. No one is on ventilator or ICU. Hope all the 12 will recover soon,” Medical Superintendent of JLNM, Dr Roshan din Kasana told KINS over phone.
According to the recent reports not more than 230 ventilators were available in J&K and that the government had ordered for more.
Athrout, an NGO, donated a few portable ventilators to CD hospital recently. Given the situation in countries like France, Spain, Italy, and even United States (US) where all modern equipment is available, the morality rate is increasing each passing day.
Back home, only three deaths have taken place in J&K so far since the outbreak of the pandemic, there is of course some divine intervention that morality rate is almost zero here otherwise it would be a real disaster and not even doctors can stop it.
Murtaza Ahmed (name changed), a doctor who has more than eight years of experience in serving in an ICU and dealing with the patients on ventilators, said there is obviously some divine intervention in J&K that mortality rate is almost zero.
“Three deaths is nothing if we compare things with Italy and USA that have world’s best health care facility. Hope things will remain same in Kashmir for next three weeks. The only thing is that people need to understand importance of staying in homes, otherwise a catastrophe is waiting at our doors,” the doctor told KINS.(KINS)
