Amid worry over rising fatalities despite falling positive cases, there is a concern that recently discharged patients may be turning serious after leaving hospitals.
Sources on the ground told DH that many cases continue to require oxygen support after discharge. “Patients are generally discharged between five and seven days as hospitals are under pressure to free up the beds for more patients,” a social worker said.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) data shows that 70.6% of hospitalised cases were discharged between one and 10 days.
BBMP chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta explained the Centre’s policy is to assume that anyone who has survived 10-15 days of the infection is “safe” and therefore unable to spread the infection. “The patient is classified as discharged,” he added.
But could some of these patients be dying after being discharged? This is what a new death audit committee formed in the BBMP is trying to determine while studying home isolation deaths.
Rajendra Cholan, special commissioner, BBMP, said most recorded home isolation deaths have been people who have not been hospitalised. “Their conditions deteriorated between the fifth and seventh days. This trend of mid-infection deterioration has been noticed from April,” he added.