Over 200 medical staff from CMC Vellore tests COVID-19 positive

Vellore: The healthcare system in India is increasingly getting affected by Covid-19, as more doctors and medical staff are reporting to be covid positive. Recently, over 200 medical staff at the Christian Medical College (CMC) Hospital in Vellore, Tamil Nadu have tested positive for Covid-19. 

Subsequently, the hospital has temporarily stopped online booking for treatments, outpatient (OP) visits and other non-emergency treatments and surgeries barring a few emergency cases. 

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As per a media report in the The New Indian Express, the officials associated with the hospital confirmed the covid cluster, noting that they are yet to ascertain the exact figure. The official said, "Given the strength of the staff, these are negligible cases. If a staff or patient shows symptoms, they are tested, quarantined and sent to the hospital or home-isolated based on the severity of the case. An exclusive Covid ward has been set up. Though we have a high number of cases, the need for ICUs is less."

 T. Manivannan, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Vellore City Corporation spoke to the Hindu, "As medical services cannot be interrupted, the CMC has been asked to attend to emergencies only. Appointments for patients from other States have been suspended in all hospitals, including CMC, within Corporation limits."

Collector P. Kumaravel Pandian had inspected two containment streets opposite to the CMC on Sunday part of containment measures, and mentioned that special health teams are monitoring the hospital on a daily basis. 

Health officials of the Vellore City Corporation noted that the headquarters of the hospital on Ida Scudder Road in the heart of the fort town, has reported the maximum number of cases, with reporting 10-20 daily infections on an average basis. The overall 200 cases, however have also taken into account the other branches of the hospital which are spread across Vellore and in Ranipet, where a new branch was built recently.

The main hospital in CMC is in Vellore town, with the college campus, including its hostel in Bagayam near the Central Prison in the city's outskirts. It also has rehabilitation centre near Bagayam with a new facility coming up in Ranipet on the Bengaluru Highway (NH: 48).

According to Vellore City Corporation officials, all branches of CMC houses around 12,500 persons, including doctors, nurses, support staff, workers, medical students, trainees and workers on an average basis. Around 8,000 out-patients (OP) and at least 2,000 in-patients, are treated at the Vellore CMC are treated on a daily basis. 

As per a media report in India Today, the district administration had declared an area near the hospital as 'containment zone' earlier after they found a covid cluster region in that area. The Babu Rao street near the CMC was categorised as 'containment zone' after six persons from that region tested positive and they were patients of the same hospital, receiving treatment. 

Further the officials stated that the infection was found amongst the attendants of the patients who had come to the CMC hospital from other states to recieve treatment. 

As per a media report in the Hindu, the health officials said that CMC had reported a similar increase in Covid cases during the second wave of the Covid pandemic.

Also Read:Drastic Fall in Hospital Admissions in current COVID-19 times