Over 200 doctors, staff, workers and patients tested positive for COVID-19 at the Christian Medical College (CMC) hospital in Vellore, in the past 10 days.Health officials of the Vellore City Corporation said the headquarters of the hospital on Ida Scudder Road in the heart of the fort town, has reported the maximum number of cases, with 10-20 daily infections on an average. However, the overall cases in the CMC included all those from its branches across Vellore and in Ranipet, where a new branch was built recently.
“As medical services cannot be interrupted, the CMC has been asked to attend to emergencies only. Appointments for patients from other States have been suspended in all hospitals, including CMC, within Corporation limits,” T. Manivannan, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Vellore City Corporation, told The Hindu.
At present, the CMC has its main hospital in Vellore town, with the college campus, including its hostel in Bagayam near the Central Prison in the city’s outskirts. The CMC also has a rehabilitation centre near Bagayam and a new facility, which is coming up in Ranipet on the Bengaluru Highway (NH: 48).
Corporation officials said all branches of the CMC, on an average, houses over 12,500 persons, including doctors, nurses, support staff, workers, medical students, trainees and workers. Everyday, around 8,000 out-patients (OP) and at least 2,000 in-patients, are treated at the Vellore CMC.
While the Vellore Government Medical College Hospital has 800 beds, the CMC has 2,500. Health officials said during the second wave of the pandemic, the CMC had reported a similar spike in cases within its premises. As part of containment measures, especially around the CMC, Collector P. Kumaravel Pandian, who inspected two containment streets opposite to the CMC on Sunday, said special health teams are monitoring the hospital on a daily basis.
Furthermore, over 250 lodges on Babu Rao Street and Sukkaiah Vathiyar Street are under surveillance by officials, after over 10 cases were reported in these streets a few days ago. These streets, located opposite to CMC’s main premises, are containment areas. Most of them are occupied by CMC patients.
