Panic grips Bihar health professionals as 110 test positive for COVID-19

Patna: Fresh panic has gripped health professionals on the frontline of the battle against COVID-19 after 110 of them tested positive for the virus in Bihar.

Of the total infected, 96 belong to the Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) located in Patna, raising fears of crippling the health services.

During the past two COVID-19 waves, the NMCH was declared a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, indicating the significance of this premier medical facility located in the state capital. But the way in which 100 doctors, MBBS students and other health workers got infected with the coronavirus has alarmed the state government at a time when COVID-19 cases registered more than 357 per cent rise in the past five days.

“We are worried about a large number of doctors and health professionals getting infected with COVID-19 but the good thing is that the majority of them have mild symptoms and are not required to be admitted to the hospitals for treatment,” state secretary of Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dr Sunil Kumar said on Monday. According to him, most of the infected doctors are in home isolation. The first two waves claimed the lives of 159 doctors in Bihar.

The sudden outbreak of coronavirus among the medical community came to light after they underwent RT-PCR test on Sunday following reports of 17 doctors contracting the virus. According to the health officials, all the doctors and health workers who tested positive during the test had earlier attended a two-day annual conference of the IMA held in Patna last week.

“The health condition of the infected medical professionals is stable. They have been told to stay in home quarantine. Only five junior doctors have been admitted to the Covid wards,” NMCH superintendent Dr Binod Kumar Singh said.

A health official said community spread seems to have started in Bihar given the way the cases were surging fast across the state. “Any cough and cold or fever should not be taken as a simple flu at the moment,” he added.

Of all the 38 districts in Bihar, Patna and Gaya remain worst-affected. While Patna, capital of Bihar, reported 142 cases alone out of total 354 recorded on Sunday, international city Gaya, known as the land of Buddha, reported 110 cases.

The authorities were further concerned when 14 villagers who had come to attend Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s weekly court at his official residence in Patna tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. On Saturday, the chief minister had sounded an alarm saying that “the third wave of COVID-19 has already started in Bihar” and asked the citizens to stay vigilant.

Keeping in view the seriousness of the situation, the chief minister has called a meeting of the Crisis Management Group on Tuesday to review the prevailing situation and impose COVID-19 restrictions if any. The chief minister while interacting with the media on Monday also dropped hints about postponing his “social reform” tour which he launched across the state last month. The main focus of his campaign is strictly enforcing the liquor ban and ending the prevailing social evils of child marriages and dowry.

The IMA has asked the government to strictly implement the COVID-19-related restrictions before the virus slips out of control. It also appealed to the people to wear facemasks, maintain social distancing and stay away from the crowded areas.