COVID suspects putting HCWs in harm’s way

Many symptomatic patients skipping COVID tests before medical procedure

April 18, 2021 11:49 pm | Updated April 19, 2021 10:35 am IST - HYDERABAD

A woman reacts as a health-care worker takes a swab from her to test for the coronavirus disease at Bagh Amberpet in Hyderabad on Monday.

A woman reacts as a health-care worker takes a swab from her to test for the coronavirus disease at Bagh Amberpet in Hyderabad on Monday.

People with clear symptoms of COVID-19 are posing a threat to doctors at Osmania General Hospital (OGH) here by not declaring their health status and skipping coronavirus tests before a medical procedure at the hospital.

Quite a few patients chose not to undergo testing as they feared a positive COVID result or isolation would delay their treatment, revealed OGH doctors.

“A few patients claimed the symptoms were unrelated to COVID-19 and demanded to be treated for their other ailments. Some later tested positive and the infection spread to some of my colleagues. Putting doctors and other healthcare workers in harm’s way in these times would mean less medical professionals to attend patients,” said a doctor of OGH.

Other medical professionals also pointed out the risk of patients transmitting the infection to doctors by not undergoing COVID tests. COVID-positive persons needing to undergo medical procedures such as surgeries can head to Gandhi Hospital, they said.

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