100 staff at Rohini hospital tested Covid positive over one month

Around 500 healthcare workers have tested positive for the infection in Delhi. This means around 6.5% of all the cases recorded in the city are among the healthcare workers.

At least 100 healthcare workers from the 500-bed Baba Saheb Ambedkar hospital in Rohini, the biggest tertiary-care hospital in Northwest Delhi, have tested positive for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) over the last one month.

A man in PPE coverals leaves carrying a COVID-19 test report at RML hospital during lockdown in New Delhi, India. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

“So far, 106 hospital staff have tested positive for the infection, of which 21 are doctors and 50 are contractual employees,” said an official from the hospital, on condition of anonymity. Around 250 hospital workers who were traced as contacts of the positive cases, were also put under quarantine, including the medical director of the hospital Dr MM Kohli.

“Many have already completed their quarantine and have joined back work,” the official said.

Around 500 healthcare workers have tested positive for the infection in Delhi. This means around 6.5% of all the cases recorded in the city are among the healthcare workers.

When the first batch of hospital staff started testing positive at Baba Saheb Ambedkar hospital, the administration began a testing drive. “We tested many of our healthcare workers after we detected the infection initially in some of our staff; many people who were asymptomatic also tested positive. The exact source of the infection cannot be detected. There are several containment zones around the hospital and many people from these areas come to the hospital for treatment,” the official said.

The hospital is still running its routine out-patient clinics and emergency department.

To reduce the risk of infection, the hospital has a screening point at all the entrances from where any person who might have Covid-19 has to follow a clearly demarcated path to go to the testing and isolation centre. Anyone who tests positive is referred to the dedicated Covid-19 Lok Nayak hospital.

In the neighbouring 100-bed Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial hospital, 75 hospital staff had tested positive for the infection late last month. The hospital is located in Jahangirpuri amid six containment zones.

Many district officials had raised the issue in April that hospitals were becoming hotspots for new infection.

At All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), 62 hospital staff have tested positive so far. “This is since the infections started being reported in the hospital. Many of these people have already recovered and joined work. Thus, there hasn’t been any major impact on medical services,” said Dr DK Sharma, medical superintendent, AIIMS.

The first cluster of infections in hospital had been discovered at the Delhi State Cancer Institute (DSCI) in the beginning of April where 26 hospital staff had tested positive for the infection along with four patients and one of their family members.