KOLKATA: Swab samples of 20 healthcare workers attached to NRS Hospital were sent to the lab at IPGMER for testing on Monday. More samples will be collected on Tuesday as the health department has decided to test swab samples of all 79 people, including 39 doctors, who had come in contact with a Covid-19 positive patient. The number of quarantined staffers jumped from 55 on Sunday to 79 on Monday.
NRS authorities have sealed the male medicine ward and the critical care unit (CCU) where the patient was treated. A decision has been made not to admit new patients in these two units for now till the latter are properly disinfected.
A 35-year-old patient had died in the hospital’s CCU on Saturday morning. His Covid-19 positive results came late on Saturday night, sending the hospital into a tizzy to identify doctors, nurses, paramedics and group D staff who had been involved in the treatment of the patient from Maheshtala.
“The first lot of 20 samples have been drawn from those who were directly in contact with the patient. Though none among the quarantined has shown any symptom, swab samples of all of them will be tested,” said a health department official.
According to hospital sources, the man suffering from haemophilia had come to the hospital’s emergency on March 30. Since the patient had no influenza-like symptoms, he was admitted straight to the male general medicine ward despite the hospital having an isolation unit for Covid-19 suspected patients. He was shifted to the CCU a day later, when he had developed severe respiratory distress.
“It was only at the CCU that doctors suspected Covid-19 infection and sent his samples. By that time, many healthcare providers had already come in contact with the patient,” said a hospital source. “The patient also had a fractured limb. Luckily, the orthopaedic department had not come into the scene as the surgery was delayed because of the patient’s condition. Otherwise, at least 15 more healthcare personnel would have come in contact with the patient,” added a doctor of the hospital.
The male medicine ward had 10 other patients while the CCU had two more when the Covid-19 patient was being treated. Sources said if it was not for the lockdown, the male medicine ward would have had at least five times more patients.
Hospital officials said quarantine of the 79 will not have much of an impact in running the hospital services as the number of patient footfall has decreased by almost 80% due to the lockdown. “The question, however, is if more cases like this emerge and more batches of doctors and other support staff go into quarantine, there could be a severe manpower crisis even to treat suspected or Covid-19 positive patients,” said a hospital source.
NRS authorities have sealed the male medicine ward and the critical care unit (CCU) where the patient was treated. A decision has been made not to admit new patients in these two units for now till the latter are properly disinfected.
A 35-year-old patient had died in the hospital’s CCU on Saturday morning. His Covid-19 positive results came late on Saturday night, sending the hospital into a tizzy to identify doctors, nurses, paramedics and group D staff who had been involved in the treatment of the patient from Maheshtala.
“The first lot of 20 samples have been drawn from those who were directly in contact with the patient. Though none among the quarantined has shown any symptom, swab samples of all of them will be tested,” said a health department official.
According to hospital sources, the man suffering from haemophilia had come to the hospital’s emergency on March 30. Since the patient had no influenza-like symptoms, he was admitted straight to the male general medicine ward despite the hospital having an isolation unit for Covid-19 suspected patients. He was shifted to the CCU a day later, when he had developed severe respiratory distress.
“It was only at the CCU that doctors suspected Covid-19 infection and sent his samples. By that time, many healthcare providers had already come in contact with the patient,” said a hospital source. “The patient also had a fractured limb. Luckily, the orthopaedic department had not come into the scene as the surgery was delayed because of the patient’s condition. Otherwise, at least 15 more healthcare personnel would have come in contact with the patient,” added a doctor of the hospital.
The male medicine ward had 10 other patients while the CCU had two more when the Covid-19 patient was being treated. Sources said if it was not for the lockdown, the male medicine ward would have had at least five times more patients.
Hospital officials said quarantine of the 79 will not have much of an impact in running the hospital services as the number of patient footfall has decreased by almost 80% due to the lockdown. “The question, however, is if more cases like this emerge and more batches of doctors and other support staff go into quarantine, there could be a severe manpower crisis even to treat suspected or Covid-19 positive patients,” said a hospital source.
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