26 asymptomatic patients refuse to take food at isolation ward

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 13

As many as 26 patients housed in the isolation ward at the Civil Hospital today refused to take food, claiming they were being kept at the hospital despite being asymptomatic. All of them had tested positive in the past.

Videos of these patients, who were seen refusing to have food even as stacks of packed food and water bottles were lying piled up on a chair) were also sent to the media.

Later, two doctors were sent to coax patients into eating food and the matter was resolved. Several days ago, three Nanded Sahib returnees also became adamant, refusing to leave the meritorious school after they tested positive. The reason for their refusal was the tests delayed by 10 days.

With district cases rising to 198 today and a sizeable number of 166 active cases lodged at the isolation centre, restless patients are posing new challenges to a team of doctors grappling with the patient inflow.

While the 14-day period is too much for patients to bear, many patients who had already tested positive have also misconstrued Centre guidelines, wondering why they are not being discharged even though they are asymptomatic.

Sources said: “Many patients get sceptical about staying at the hospital when they are otherwise healthy and fine. They blame the authorities for keeping them in too long. Also, they expect to get straight to home once the 14-day quarantine period is over. But we can only let those people go who have tested negative. There are patients who have tested positive on their second repeat tests. We cannot let them go. They might be Covid carriers. But it is difficult to explain this to them.”

So far, repeat samples of as many as 63 persons in the district have tested positive.

Doctors said many were throwing tantrums.

“They demand hot milk. Some don’t want to eat rice and some don’t want curd. Some want it. They also ask for fruits. We are torn between their desires. However, we try to supply as much as we can with a lot of help from NGOs.”

With another case reported today, the total number of cases in the district have reached 198. A 66-year -old Basti Shiekh resident is the new case in the district.

Today 14 reports in Jalandhar have also tested negative. As many as 26 persons have recovered in the district so far.

Meanwhile, another case was also reported in Kapurthala today after which the total tally rose to 27. The Kapurthala patient is a 14-year-old returnee from Hazur Sahib, staying on the PTU campus, the patient is originally a resident of Narangpur village in Bholath. Having arrived a few days ago, the patient had not returned home yet as he was under quarantine. MS Dr Harinder Pal didn’t pick despite repeated attempts.

26th patient recovers in district

The 26th Covid patient from Jalandhar was discharged today. The patient, Sunita, a resident of New Raseela Nagar in Basti Danishmanda, was admitted to the Civil Hospital on April 23 and on May 7. Her sample was found negative on retesting. Again on May 10, her sample was sent for confirmatory test, which was again tested negative.

Hoshiarpur: With one more person testing positive, the number of Covid patients in the district has reached 93. Samples of three persons, who had returned from Maharashtra two days ago in Khuralgarh village of Garhshankar, were taken. One of them, Inderjit Singh (32), was tested positive today. The trio came to Khuralgarh on May 11. — OC

Count reaches 93 in Hoshiarpur district

With one more person testing positive, the number of Covid patients in the district has reached 93. Samples of three persons, who had returned from Maharashtra two days ago in Khuralgarh village of Garhshankar, were taken. One of them, Inderjit Singh (32), was tested positive today. The trio came to Khuralgarh on May 11

Writer, son die of Covid in England

Mahilpur: Punjabi litterateur Kultar Singh and his son Inderpreet Singh, who hailed from Ghumiala village in Mahilpur, died of Covid in England. Kultar’s nephew Jaswant Singh Khabra, who lives in Ghumiala, said Kultar Singh (86) was living in Slough town of England since 1964. Some time ago, Kultar and his son Inderpreet were found Covid-19 positive and were undergoing treatment at a hospital there. On May 9, Inderpreet died and later on May 10, Kultar also breathed his last. Kultar had written six books and his contribution towards the spread of Punjabi was widely accepted. On Wednesday, the news of their death triggered a wave of grief among relatives and literature lovers of the area. OC