E-Paper
7 members of Khadki family, Sassoon doctor and civic water dept employee among Covid-19 +ve
While swabs samples of other residents in the area were being collected for testing, the entire area was sealed
Seven family members of a Covid-19 positive patient in Khadki, a senior chest physician from Sassoon Hospital and a civic employee from Parvati water works were among those who tested positive for the Sars-Cov-2 virus on Friday.
The total number of positive cases on Friday rose to 501 in Pune and 52 in Pimpri-Chinchwad.
On Friday, seven family members of a Covid-19 positive patient tested positive for the coronavirus infection in Khadki Cantonment, after which the entire area was sealed for the next three days as a precautionary measure.
Khadki Cantonment Board (KCB) officials said a resident of the area had approached the Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Cantonment Hospital on April 7 with complaints of cold and cough. His swab samples were referred to Aundh Chest Hospital for the Covid-19 test which came positive on April 16. Eight family members were then put under quarantine, even as six tested positive for the virus. The remaining two family members have been advised home quarantine. None of them had a travel history outside Pune district.
While swabs samples of other residents in the area were being collected for testing, the entire area was sealed on Friday. The total number of positive cases from Khadki Cantonment area is now eight.
At Sassoon General Hospital, a senior chest physician tested positive two days after four nurses treating patients at the Covid19 ward in the hospital were quarantined for Covid19 infection.
The doctor’s report came on Wednesday night and he was quarantined in the same ward where he was attending and treating patients along with the three nurses.
District Collector Naval Kishore Ram confirmed the development and said the doctor was in a stable condition.
“Since he is a pulmonary expert he got himself tested as soon as he got mild symptoms including sore throat and cold. He is now being quarantined at the hospital to continue his treatment,” Ram said.
At the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), an employee working at the Parvati water works tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday. The PMC then worked on a war footing and replaced the staff.
PMC water department head Aniruddha Pawaskar confirmed the development and said, “We made alternate arrangements immediately and replaced the staff.
According to Pawaskar, the employee had gone to visit a sick relative who was found to be Covid-19 positive. The PMC health department therefore took swab samples of all the family members and found that PMC employee was also positive, he said.
Swab samples of all the employees who had come in close contact with this Covid-19 positive employee have been taken and the other employees have been asked to remain in quarantine, he said.
Pawaskar said since a high number of positive cases are emerging from Bhavani peth area, he took a review two days ago of how many employees at Parvati water works were from Bhavani peth and other high risk areas. Accordingly, 20 employees were asked not to stay at home, he said.
