As we slowly move towards phase 3, another huge obstacle comes our way. Not only are there small clusters forming in different pockets of the country, hospitals are also harbouring the virus and forming their clusters.
What happens when an institution meant to treat the disease becomes the very place that spreads it? In Mumbai, the Wockhardt Hospital has been called a containment zone after around 26 nurses and 3 doctors tested positive for covid-19 within a week!
This means that no one can enter or leave the hospital till everyone inside tests negative twice in a row. A 70-year-old patient is said to have been the source of the infection in the hospital.
The same pattern is being followed in the capital where 14 healthcare workers, one doctor and three nurses were confirmed to have coronavirus. At a hospital called Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, 108 staff members were advised to quarantine.
Even the staff at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have been advised to self-quarantine after a doctor there also tested positive. Two doctors at the Safdarjung Hospital also tested positive.
A hospital in Pune also quarantined 92 of its staff members from the DY Patil Hospital after a patient tested positive for coronavirus.
Across the whole country more than 50 healthcare workers have tested positive for Covid-19. Globally, more and more doctors and nurses are getting infected as they treat patients with corona.
This increasing spread among medical institutions will end up becoming a huge problem in the future. The shrink in the number of healthcare workers could have a severe impact on the treatment of the virus and could weaken our ability to fight the pandemic.
Considering the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the low number of doctors we have in India, this could cost us a lot of avoidable deaths.
