More frontline Covid-19 workers now testing positive

Nagpur: Covid-19 is spreading fast with steep rise in cases from various parts of the district. Some of the leading front-line workers also tested positive on Wednesday.
Deputy district health officer, who was leading the Covid-19 team of zilla parishad for last five months, tested positive. He was working tirelessly in Nagpur Rural since beginning in contact tracing, setting up special testing camps, training staff for collection of swab samples, developing quarantine centres and Covid Care Centres in 13 tehsils.
Earlier, two doctors and some paramedical staffers of ZP working at quarantine centres have also tested positive.
In Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), assistant commissioner of Gandhibagh zone, who is in charge of entire zone, zonal medical officer, head of medical department, and zonal officer, head of sanitation department tested positive. Since March, all three were working without any leave in the zone with the highest number of cases as well as deaths in the city.
The zone is facing serious problems due to shortage of staff. Over last two months, some front-line workers of civic body had contracted the disease while working in containment zones.
On Wednesday, 55-year-old additional municipal commissioner, who has been taking care of quarantine centres, CCCs and food supply during full lockdown, tested positive in antibody test. He too had reportedly not taken a single weekly off or leave since March.
Two more officials of collector office also tested positive in antibody test, who were working in containing the spread of disease.
“Due to work, I never realized that I had contracted the disease. Nice thing is that I came positive in antibody test which means I can continue my work and not take leave. We have no option but to carry on the work as there is no staff in spare for taking over our place. Therefore, we would like to work till the end of this pandemic in the district,” the NMC official said.
A 31-year-old female resident doctor of IGGMCH, who was working in Covid-19 isolation ward, also tested positive on Tuesday. Before her, over 10 doctors and paramedical staff of IGGMCH had tested positive. IGGMCH is testing and also treating novel coronavirus patients since the district registered first case on March 11.
Similarly, over 10 doctors and paramedical staff from GMCH have also tested positive. This government Dedicated Covid Hospital is also testing and treating positive patients since beginning of the pandemic.
As of Wednesday, 1,621 positives patients have recovered and been discharged from GMCH and IGGMCH. Also, 640 patients with moderate and serious symptoms are undergoing treatment currently.
Even among security forces, 15 State Reserve Police Officers deployed in containment zones had also tested positive. Over 35 policemen have also contracted the disease.