5 days ago
Covid symptoms in this round feel like Omicron during pandemic, say doctors
Kolkata: Around 30% of Covid patients in some Kolkata hospitals are showing gastrointestinal symptoms, which were prevalent during the spread of the Omicron variant in early 2022.
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Many elderly patients admitted during the current cycle suffered a quick worsening of comorbidities, which may have been triggered by the virus, say doctors. There has also been a spurt in the number of relatively younger patients without any co-ailment. Even though severe cases remain low, several private hospitals have seen a spurt in admissions, leading to an extension of their isolation wards.
While initial symptoms of the current surge were restricted to fever and cough, a sizeable section of patients has now started suffering from loose motion and mild diarrhoea — a prominent symptom of the third Covid wave that struck three-and-a-half years ago.
"While these symptoms, too, remain mild, it now indicates the presence of the virus if detected in conjunction with fever and cough. Many had gastrointestinal symptoms during the Omicron wave, and it could be possible that since the current strain Jn.1 is believed to be an Omicron variant, symptoms are getting repeated," said CMRI Hospital pulmonology director Raja Dhar.
The hospital has seven Covid patients admitted.
While most are still elderly with comorbidities, a significant number suffered worsening of their ailments quickly, added Dhar.
Charnock Hospital has admitted four Covid patients over the last three days. "They had a persistent fever and nasal symptoms that made them get tested. Their comorbidities are mild, and they are stable. There has been a major spurt in mild positive cases, which don't require admission. Patients now cut across all age groups and are not necessarily just the elderly with comorbidities," said Charnock Hospital pulmonologist Soumya Sengupta.
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Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur now has two Covid patients. "While we received elderly patients till a few days ago, the virus is now affecting all age groups. A vast majority have mild symptoms that don't require admission, which has kept it manageable for us so far," said Manipal infectious diseases physician Sayan Chakrabarty.
Peerless Hospital has four Covid patients admitted, including a seven-month-old girl and her mother. It also has a 52-year-old man and a 72-year-old elderly patient, both of whom are stable. With two Covid patients currently admitted, BP Poddar Hospital has intensified safety measures. "Both presented with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and mild-grade fever. One is a 72-year-old female and the other a 65-year-old male," said Supriyo Chakraborty, group advisor of BP Poddar.
