Staff who treated coronavirus patient asked to take precautions

Staffers on duty at the 32-bed isolation ward at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, where a 45-year-old Delhi resident who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) was admitted, have been asked to stay under home quarantine for the next 14 days, a staff member said on the condition of anonymity on Monday.RML Hospital in central Delhi is one of the two nodal centres designated to quarantine and treat persons suspected to have Covid-19. The patient from Delhi, whose test came back positive on Monday, was kept in isolation at RML Hospital. He was later moved to Safdarjung Hospital, the second such centre.“All staff members who came in contact with the patient who tested positive have been asked to stay at home and stay away from the rest of their family members. The work roster was revised today (Monday),” said the staff member.

Currently, staff members in the ward are also being tested, this person said. “The staff members are of course worried. There is no treatment or vaccination for the disease right now.”

Minakshi Bhardwaj, medical superintendent at RML hospital, said: “We have been strictly asked not to give out any information. Please speak to the ministry for any information related to coronavirus.”

There are reports that the Air India crew who had flown the February 25 Vienna-Delhi flight, which was boarded by the male passenger, too, have been asked to stay at their homes for 14 days.

In mid-January, the hospital set up a six-bed isolation facility, which was later expanded when people started returning from China in large numbers towards the end of that month. At RML Hospital, the same ward and the same staff treat H1N1 (swine flu) patients.

In NCR, 124 people who have returned from Japan and 112 from China’s Wuhan, believed to be the epicentre of the outbreak, are under isolation at Haryana’s Manesar managed by the Indian Army and in the national capital’s Chhawla Camp managed by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

The quarantine facility — Himveer Awaas — at Chhawla Camp, is a five-storey building where people are housed on different floors. No one is allowed to enter the building without personal protective equipment such as gloves and masks. There is a common room where people are examined in batches every morning. Those who show symptoms such as cough, fever, or have difficulty in breathing are then sent to hospitals such as RML or Safdarjung for treatment.

“There is an ambulance ready to transport a sick patient at any time, and separate isolation beds have been kept for those who develop symptoms so that they are away from the rest till they are moved to a hospital,” said AP Joshi, chief medical officer, Chhawla Camp