92 healthcare workers, including a faculty, found COVID-19 positive at AIIMS in last 2 months
May 18, 2020
By Priyanka Sharma
New Delhi [India], May 18 : As many as 92 healthcare workers, including medicos and non-medicos, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two months.
A faculty from the orthopedic division is the latest to be found to have contracted the infection, after which about 10 people were quarantined.
As per the latest data compiled at AIIMS, COVID-19 positive cases include - one faculty, two resident doctors, 13 nursing staff, 45 security guards, 12 sanitation workers among others like technicians, hospital attendants, data entry operators, etc - working at the medical institute.
"On Saturday, a faculty from the orthopaedic department was found COVID-19 positive. However, he was not posted at coronavirus unit. Contact tracing has been started and at least 10 people have been quarantined as a precautionary measure," said Dr DK Sharma, Medical Superintendent at AIIMS.
Dr Sharma confirmed that about 92 healthcare workers at AIIMS were found infected with coronavirus. "We are taking all safety and precautionary measures against COVID-19 for our healthcare workers at the hospital. Most of them have joined their duties after completing their treatment and quarantine period. Our doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other healthcare workers have been provided with all facilities of protective gears."
In view of COVID-19, AIIMS authorities have given strict directions to patients to wear face masks for the entire time they are in the hospital. All patients coming to AIIMS OPD, emergency, in-patient wards or visiting any other patient care areas ought to be wearing face masks (cloth mask/surgical mask).
The medical institute is also planning to restore limited OPD and non-emergency services in a phase-wise manner for which the talks are on with all the departments to resume medical facilities, said a doctor.
With the highest-ever spike of 5,242 new cases in the last 24 hours, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases in India reached 96,169 on Monday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
With 157 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll has risen to 3,029, as per the latest update by the ministry.
