COVID-19: When to rush to the hospital

All COVID positive patients need not get admitted to a hospital, however if you have severe symptoms, then reach out to your nearest COVID hospital at the earliest.

New Delhi: Amidst rising cases of COVID-19 in India, there is an acute shortage of hospital beds and resources to cater to the demand of increasing numbers of patients.

However, all COVID positive patients need not get admitted to a hospital and can easily recover by taking all the precautions, rest and following a doctor’s instructions while home quarantining.

Nevertheless, a COVID patient condition can get severe and they may require immediate hospital care. Below are the symptoms that are an alarm bell that the patient will require instant professional assistance.

1. If your oxygen saturation dips below 90 percent. Signs like experiencing breathlessness despite resting, having difficulty in speaking, inability to walk across a room and dip in oxygen level despite the supply of O2 are all red flags that the patient needs to be admitted to a hospital as soon as possible.
2. Persistent fever for 5 to 7 days. It is normal to get fever while you are down with COVID but if your fever is persistent for more than 5 days then you should immediately consult your doctor.
3. Severe vomiting or diarrhea. If you have severe diarrhea and vomiting then your body is losing essential fluids and you might require an IV bottle injection in your body.
4. Difficulty speaking. This is a severe symptom and needs immediate assistance.
5. Confusion or sudden change in mental status. If a patient is acting delirious and speaking nonsensically, take them to the nearby COVID hospital.
6. Extreme sleepiness or inability to wake. If a COVID patient fatigue is so severe that they are unable to stay awake, then they need to be admitted to a hospital.

Prevention is better than cure. To avoid such a situation to arise - practice social distancing, avoid unnecessarily stepping out from your homes, wear a mask, get vaccinated and report at the earliest if you get any COVID symptoms and self-isolate yourself.

You need to practice all these measures even if you have got COVID previously and even after receiving vaccination. 

This is because you can still get a reinfection despite previous exposure to the virus and none of the vaccines is 100 percent efficacious and also even if it is effective, you can be a carrier of the virus and give it to someone who is not vaccinated or has low immunity.