Among Covid positive patients, a majority of patients in the outpatient wing of government tertiary hospitals in Hyderabad, including Gandhi, Chest, Osmania General Hospital (OGH), and Fever Hospitals, are reporting flu-like symptoms with little or no need for oxygen or ventilator assistance.

While outpatient wings are seeing an increase in patients due to morbidity from symptoms such as extreme body aches, lethargy, cough, sore throat, and fever, in-patient wards at these tertiary hospitals, which struggled to allocate vacant hospital beds during the peak of the Delta wave, have continued to see minimal hospitalisation.

Because of the Omicron variant's inherent milder nature compared to Delta, and hybrid immunity obtained by vaccinations and early infection, a majority of positive patients with symptoms recover within five to six days.

Due to the high volume of Covid patients at OPs, the OGH has opted to maintain a unique Covid department at King Koti District Hospital rather than referring them to Gandhi Hospital.

While hospitalizations are down, those who present at the OPs with symptoms are subjected to rapid antigen tests on the spot. If they test positive, they are immediately given an isolation medicine kit and told to isolate themselves.