Mangaluru: A month on, 81-year-old man continues to test positive for Covid-19

MANGALURU: The case of an octogenarian Covid-19 patient, being treated at the designated hospital in Mangaluru, has baffled the health authorities.
The family of three, including the 81-year-old, had landed here in the first flight from Dubai on May 12, and were found infected. While his wife and daughter were discharged, the elderly man continues to be positive. Doctors are in a confusion as he is asymptomatic.All the six tests conducted on his samples in the past one month have tested positive, because of which the doctors have not sent him home.
Meanwhile, another 76-year-old man, who arrived here with his wife from Dubai on May 18, also got infected. The couple is asymptomatic but positive.
District health and family welfare officer Dr Ramachandra Bairy said that they are yet to decide on treating the 81-year-old patient in isolation — at his house — as a special case.
“It is a sensitive issue as he is aged 81. Leaving him alone at house is risky as he may fall and injure himself. Also, people in the neighbourhood may oppose his shifting there. We are doing our best to cure him. Normally, tests are done once in 72 days. We will wait for one more week and hope for the best,” Dr Bairy said, adding that the lack of immunity is the only reason for the delay in recovery. “The elderly patients are looking healthy, but they are feeling down due to isolation,” the DHO explained.
Dr Prashanth Bhat, nodal officer for Covid-19 in Udupi, said that there are only 2-3 patients who continue to be positive for 21 days in the district. Most of the patients have recovered within 14 days.