Coronavirus: Demand for face masks, hand senitisers spikes

Many chemist shops in Doaba region and Bathinda are reportedly already out of stock of the said items, while others were selling them at a premium.

Jalandhar/Bathinda/Moga The demand for surgical masks and hand senitisers has spiked amid reports of suspected coronavirus patients being quarantined at many places in the state. Many chemist shops in Doaba region and Bathinda are reportedly already out of stock of the said items, while others were selling them at a premium.

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Surinder Sharma, the chemist in Jalandhar said a normal face mask which was available for ₹20 to ₹50 on a normal day is being sold for anywhere between ₹70 and ₹200.

Though, no confirmed case of the virus has come to the fore in the state, around 1,000 people have been screened in different government and private hospitals in the past week. Two suspected patients have been quarantined at the Jalandhar civil hospital.

Bathinda civil hospital authorities on Thursday quarantined a man from Sema village who had come back from Malaysia recently and developed coronavirus-like symptoms. Emergency medical officer at the hospital Dr Gurmail Singh said the patient has been kept in the special isolation ward as he was down with cough and fever.

Bathinda civil surgeon Dr Amrik Singh said patient’s blood samples have been sent to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.

Deepak Kumar, a wholesale drug stockist in Bathinda, said markets sanitisers and face masks were vanishing off the shelves fast.

Jalandhar DC Varinder Kumar Sharma said elaborate steps have been taken to check the spread of the flu.

From cops to students, masks take over

Traffic police personnel in Jalandhar were seen on the field job with surgical masks on. Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Naresh Dogra said 170 masks were distributed among the traffic cops in the city.

Even most of the CBSE students who appeared for the accountancy examination on Thursday arrived carrying hand sanitisers and masks.

Moga admn issues advisory to schools, hotels

A day after a suspected case of coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported in Moga, the district administration on Thursday issued an advisory to various government and private schools, hotels and shopping malls in the district.

Moga civil surgeon Dr Andesh said individuals should maintain highest standards of hygiene and avoid crowded places. She said teachers have been asked to keep close tabs on students and flag any flu-like symptoms with their parents. She said similar advisory was also issued to hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and guest houses.

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‘Flu corners’ at Golden Temple, Durgiana Temple

AMRITSAR The health department on Thursday set up three ‘flu corners’ in Amritsar, urging people to get themselves tested voluntarily.

The ‘flu corners’ have been set up at Golden Temple, Durgiana Temple and Bhagwaan Valmiki Tirath Sthal, where a large number of devotees from across the world pay obeisance.

Civil surgeon Dr Prabhdeep Kaur Johal said, “As a precautionary measure, the health department has set up ‘flu corners’ where anyone can contact the doctors for examination. The tourists can voluntarily submit their travel history if they have not been screened at the airports. The doctors, who will be present round the clock at the flu corners, will also spread awareness about the virus.”

“We have put up banners highlighting symptoms, dos and don’ts, and contact numbers in case of emergency. Since some positive coronavirus cases have also been reported at Pakistan, more doctors have been deployed at Attari-Wagha border to screen the visitors,” she added.

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Nodal officer quits job citing stress

Amritsar’s district epidemiologist Dr Navdeep Kaur, who was also given the charge of nodal officer for coronavirus by the health department, resigned from her job on Thursday, citing stress. Dr Kaur told the civil surgeon that she can’t handle the job stress under the present circumstances and was resigning from her post.

“Dr Navdeep was heading the team who is screening people at the airport, at Attari border and maintaining record of suspected patients. Since this job requires 24-hour availability, we also cancelled the leave of the doctors and staff members . Her decision shows that she is irresponsible. Her resignation has been sent to health department in Chandigarh,” said Dr Johal.