Seven persons, including two postgraduate medical students of the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), tested positive for COVID-19 in Coimbatore on Monday.

Of the seven cases, six are from city limits and one from Kinathukadavu, which has been included in containment zone. As per Health Department release, the total number of persons tested positive in Coimbatore stood at 126 on Monday.

The two PG students of CMCH are believed to have contracted the disease while they were on duty at the COVID-19 ward at the Government Medical College and ESI Hospital, Coimbatore, recently. They were moved to the COVID-19 ward at ESI Hospital after the test results came.

Mess staff vacate hostel

It is learnt that the two PG students had returned to the men’s hostel on CMCH campus after their duty period at ESI Hospital without going for the quarantine period stipulated for medical professionals after working in COVID-19 ward.

They returned to the hostel, allegedly due to lack of facilities for quarantine on the ESI Hospital campus, said sources with the medical students at CMCH. With the news of test results of the two PG students leaked on Monday, the staff working in the mess of the men’s hostel, which is common dining area for male and female students, vacated the place.

Dinner not available

“Dinner was not available at the mess on Monday as the staff left the place afraid of contracting COVID-19. We were told to find our food when we took the issue to the attention of the hospital administration.

Though two PGs from the men’s hostel tested positive, others were staying at the hostel as they do not have any other option.

PGs and those doing Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI) also lack adequate safety gears including mask while working in wards at CMCH,” said a CRRI on conditions of anonymity. Though the training period of last batch of CRRIs was over and new batch started training, the training period of the last batch was extended due to the emergency situation arose out of COVID-19 spread in the State.

Six discharged

Meanwhile, six persons, residents of Podanur and nearby areas, recovered from COVID-19 and got discharged from ESI Hospital on Monday. They will continue to remain in home quarantine for 28 days.

Held for breaking home qurantine period

A 38-year-old man from Muslim Colony near Madukkarai, who had visited Delhi in March, was arrested on Monday after he came out from the residential area which the police had sealed as part of containment strategy. The man, who was supposed to remain in home quarantine, was taken to Government Medical College and ESI Hospital where his swab sample was lifted for test. As the man did not have symptoms of the disease, he was advised to continue home quarantine. The police granted him bail.