Staffers at Bhatia Hospital in Tardeo and Hinduja Healthcare in Khar were quarantined on Wednesday after patients admitted for other ailments tested positive for COVID-19. Swabs of staff members from both hospitals have been sent for testing and new admissions and outpatient departments have been closed.
At Bhatia Hospital, three patients who were brought into the emergency department on April 4 and 5 tested positive. Nearly 70 doctors, nurses and other staff members who were exposed to the patients have now been quarantined. “During initial analysis, one among three patients was admitted to the ICU. The other two were admitted after initial analysis. As a precautionary measure, civic officials have taken the swabs of 70 staff members. Test results are awaited,” the hospital said in a statement.
At Hinduja Healthcare, a 76-year-old woman, who was admitted with neurological symptoms in the casualty department on Sunday, was in the ICU for two hours and later shifted to isolation. The woman tested positive on Wednesday, triggering contact tracing and isolation of staffers who had been exposed to her. Hospital sources said nearly 20 staffers have been isolated and their samples are being sent for testing.
The neurology expert treating the patient has been advised to be under home quarantine. According to a doctor, the staffers were wearing protective gear. “All precautionary measures are being taken,” he said. At the time of going to press, the woman was being shifted to SevenHills Hospital in Marol.
Hostel sealed in Mahim
After a nurse at Breach Candy Hospital tested positive on Monday, nearly 90 swabs of her contacts were collected for testing. Civic officials sealed the hostel where the nurse was staying in Mahim. Three roommates have been admitted to the hospital’s isolation ward and nurses who came in contact with the patient have been quarantined at the top floor of the hostel. N. Santhanam, the hospital’s CEO, said no other staff member has tested positive so far. “We have initiated all precautionary measures,” he said.
