Our Correspondent
Kohima, July 30 (EMN): With the number of Covid-19 cases continuing to increase in Kohima, the beds at the Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) Covid-19 hospital is almost reaching its saturation point.
While ‘considering the risk factors involved at NHAK Covid-19 hospital wards’, which are already filled with Covid-19 patients, some residents under containment zones in the state capital have expressed apprehensions that if elderly people are infected with the virus, they would be admitted at the designated facility.
In this regard, they have made an earnest appeal to the state government to come up with the idea of home isolation or other alternative facility to shelter elderly people or children if they are detected with the virus.
A resident from one of the containment zones, who is awaiting the Covid-19 test reports of his parents, told Eastern Mirror that ‘many states have already started home isolation as an option for the vulnerable groups.
A Covid-19 patient at NHAK also expressed concern for the elderly parents. “I am worried about my old aged parents because the disease is vulnerable to elderly people,” he said.
Many citizens from the containment zones also reacted to the government notification which permits constitutional authorities, council of ministers, dignitaries or senior officers performing duties and responsibilities towards fighting Covid-19, to undergo home isolation in his/her home, or at any government accommodation or paid facility.
Accordingly, the citizens have asked the government to allow the elderly and other vulnerable groups to undergo self isolation at their respective homes under strict surveillance, and be monitored by medical team as required.
They maintained that old people should not be kept together with other patients at Covid-19 hospitals.
The government notification issued by the chief secretary of Nagaland has been circulating on social media platforms in the aftermath of a legislator testing positive for Covid-19 on July 29.
Meanwhile, the identities of some Covid-19 patients admitted at NHAK Covid-19 hospital have been leaked via WhatsApp, much to the worry of the patients as well as their families.
The PDF files in circulation contain the names, age, sex, SRF ID numbers, specimen details, result of positive tests via the BSL-3 Kohima and the contact numbers of the Covid-19 patients.
Citing the fear of stigmatisation and mental trauma already weighing heavy on the family members, they have asked the authorities concerned to keep the reports confidential.
When contacted, a medical team supervisor at one of the containment zones said that they were also clueless about the source of the leak.
According to her, the medical teams also receive such test reports from the surveillance team, following which they send them to the individuals concerned through their personal phones to inform them of their positive or negative status.
She said that only authorised persons have access to such information.