Bengaluru: 16 staffers hit, Jayadeva OPD will stay shut till July 4

BENGALURU: With 16 staff members, including three doctors, testing positive for Covid-19, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research has decided to keep its outpatient unit shut till July 4. The hospital will continue treating emergency cases.
The OPD was first closed on June 24 and was supposed to reopen on June 29. But the increasing number of cases among staff members prompted the hospital to extend the closure. Ten of the 16 cases were confirmed on Saturday. Many others are in quarantine.
“Ten members tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday. As some reports were inconclusive, retest will be done. However, 90 per cent of the chances are that the 10 staffers will be positive in the retest too. It’s a tough call, but the OPD will have to be closed till July 4,” said Dr CN Manjunath, the director of the hospital. Many elective surgeries have also been deferred. It will conduct telemedicine consultations.
The temporary closure of Jayadeva OPD has increased the workload of general hospitals. This is reflected in the number of heart cases at KC General and Jayanagar General Hospital.