Panchkula doc, 76-year-old woman found infected

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, June 28

An anaesthesia specialist posted in the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Sector 21 here was among two persons found positive for the Covid-19 in the district today. The doctor was in direct contact with high-risk patients.

Considering the seriousness of the matter, the Civil Surgeon, Dr Jasjeet Kaur, has ordered an assessment by experts for the prevention of Covid-19 spread in the healthcare setting.

“With so many asymptomatic patients, it is not always possible to segregate Covid and non-Covid patients. In spite of the best preventive measures, healthcare workers are always at significant risk, especially with the ever-increasing number of patients. Three private hospitals in Panchkula are most vulnerable due to patients coming here for treatment from other districts and states,” she said.

Health officials said around 12 employees, including four doctors, who came in contact with the anaesthesia specialist, had already been home-quarantined. They would be sampled for the Covid-19, if required.

As many as seven Covid positive persons, including three from Panchkula, are undergoing treatment at the Sector 21 hospital.

The infected doctor, who lives in Rail Vihar, Sector 4, Mansa Devi Complex, is now admitted to the same hospital. “We have instructed doctors to inform the hospital and get themselves tested if they develop any Covid-19 symptoms. We are taking all safety measures. We exactly don’t know how the doctor contracted the virus,” another doctor at the Sector 21 hospital said.

On June 27, a 31-year-old nurse from Parwanoo, who works at the Sector 21 hospital, had tested positive for coronavirus. She used to commute daily between Parwanoo and Panchkula through public transport. It is not clear whether the doctor contracted the infection from the nurse.

Another person who tested positive for the virus is a 76-year-old woman from Sector 17 here. With this, the number of infected persons in the district rose to 111.