Podanur Railway Hospital was sealed on Friday following the admission of a 29-year-old doctor with COVID-19 symptoms at ESI Hospital.
An official from Salem Division of Southern Railway told The Hindu that the doctor was transferred from Erode Railway Hospital to Podanur Railway Hospital earlier in March, as part of a routine transfer. After being relieved on March 20 from Erode, she arrived in Podanur on March 23, where she felt feverish. “She did not treat anyone at Podanur Railway Hospital,” the official said, adding that she went on leave immediately after feeling unwell. As a precautionary measure, both the railway hospitals in Erode and Podanur were sealed on Friday, the official noted.
Official sources at the Coimbatore District Adminstration said that the doctor was admitted in the isolation ward at ESI Hospital on the night of March 25 after she showed COVID-19 symptoms. Five of her contacts have also been quarantined at ESI Hospital. The results of their swab samples are awaited, sources said.
The doctor reportedly treated the Thailand nationals in Erode who tested positive for COVID-19 . The District Administration will decide on whether to reopen the Podanur Railway Hospital within three days, according to the official sources.
