The Bhutanese Leading the way.
With the fourth day of national lockdown the isolation ward in Phuentsholing are managing positive cases without much problem. In the first day of lockdown, three positive cases was reported and in the following day it was 12 positive cases which was a huge number. The Covid centre in Phuentsholing was activated only after the first case of Gelephu. Then there were three more cases yesterday and two today.
The Phuentsholing COVID Center is handling 20 positive cases as of Saturday. Most of the COVID-19 patients are doing well except for a few with minor illnesses. Most of them are quite young below the age of 40 so it is completely manageable. But if a patients get serious then it will become difficult and if the positive cases increase then the hospital might have to call trained doctors from other district hospitals.
Due to the warm weather in the Southern part, health staffs looking after positive cases are facing difficulty. The hospital could not install an Air-Conditioner (AC) but they are using a portable AC.
A medical officer at Phuentsholing General Hospital, Dr Tashi Tobgay said since doctors do not have to be in the isolation ward, so it is not much of a problem but for nurses who are in the isolation ward for six hours and sometimes eight hours they are finding it difficult with full PPE and it is quite painful with the goggles and gloves where the health staffs have to wear two or three layers.
Not only are health staffs looking after the positive cases facing problems but also patients. Dr Tashi said even patients are facing difficulties since they are kept in the lowest level of the ward and it is quite dark and they might have a feeling of claustrophobia. Since it is the third day in isolation ward, all the patients are managing quite well. However, if they are facing difficulties in the present COVID center, then the hospital might plan to shift them to another ward.
The doctor said first case reported from the mini dry port does not fulfill the definition of local transmission and all the cases Phuentsholing received so far are from the quarantined facility and those working in the mini dry port where they hardly go out and they have very limited movement outside their facility. “We are still contact tracing and testing is still going on. We are expecting few more cases because no one knows,” said Dr Tashi.
Upon asking whether the medical staff worry about getting infected, Dr Tashi said sometimes they do worry but they are using adequate PPE and as much as possible they reduced the risk of exposure. But there is always a risk of getting infected.
The present COVID Centre in Phuentsholing can accommodate 79 patients.
