Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jul 10: Health department officials have confirmed that a few persons from the state who had been cured of coronavirus infection have again been contracting this infection. This is a development that has given rise to apprehension.

As per the previous guidelines, people infected with coronavirus were treated in the hospital for 14 days and discharged only after two tests gave negative results. These people have been infected again. Several such cases have been reported but the health department has not been releasing any official list of these incidents.

As per information a 50-year-old man with Tablighi background, who had been admitted into the hospital at Kudachi, Belagavi, on April 15, had been discharged after tests performed on April 28 and May 1 proved to be negative. He later developed heart-related ailments and got admitted into the hospital on May 9. When a fresh test was conducted, he tested positive for coronavirus. As the second test too was positive, he was again admitted into COVID 19 hospital. Several such cases have happened in the state but such patients do not encounter too much of complications due to the disease, it is said.

The government's guideline to discharge people before they are healed, at a time when corona infection is on the rise, is also giving rise to tensions. People who get benefit out of this rule and go away, test positive during tests conducted a few days later in several cases.

As per information, an employee of Taj West End was sent away by the doctors at Victoria Hospital after ten days of admission without performing test. When the employee wanted to join for work, the hotel manager sought a coronavirus test report. When he got a swab test done at Mallige Hospital, it was found that his infection was present.

When contacted, BMRCI director, Dr C N Jayanthi said that as per the state government guideline given on June 26, a person who does not have any symptoms for ten days after admission can be discharged if he is asymptomatic and without fever. She said that such persons can be discharged from the hospital without conducting tests. Such incidents open up possibility of other family members getting infected, the people are worried.

Minister for medical education, Dr K Sudhakar, said that coronavirus stays in a person's body only for ten days and as per the view of AIIMS director, Dr Randeep Buleria, a person without symptoms can be discharged after ten days. If the test is conducted after ten days, he may test positive for the virus and existence of dead viruses in the body can give rise to such results. Such persons cannot spread infection to others, it is scientifically proven, he clarified.