Odisha hospitals turning into hotspots, 38 fresh cases from cancer institute

The Cuttack district administration was going through the list of positive cases in AHPGIC to ascertain as to how many of them were cancer patients.

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Hospitals in Odisha are steadily turning into hotspots for novel coronavirus with number of leading health institutions reporting fresh COVID-19 positive cases on Saturday.

As many as 38 positive cases were detected in Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer (AHPGIC), Cuttack taking the hospital tally past 100-mark in past 10 days.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences-Bhubaneswar too reported 21 cases including four hospital staffs. Similarly, SCB Medical College Hospital at Cuttack added six positive cases to its tally on Saturday.

The Cuttack district administration was going through the list of positive cases in AHPGIC to ascertain as to how many of them were cancer patients. On Thursday, 55 persons including 18 patients and their attendants from the hospital had tested positive.

According to a senior officer, the fresh 38 cases were part of an earlier batch of swabs collected from people isolated in the AHPGIC. The AHPGIC is a premier government-run cancer facility in eastern India.

In Bhubaneswar, more than 40 persons including many employees of a private hospital were found to be infected with virus. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation had sealed the health facility following detection of positive cases. Earlier, state-run MKCG Hospital, Berhampur and Indira Gandhi Hospital, Rourkela too had reported positive cases as well as COVID-19 deaths.

In wake of rise in COVID-19 positive cases, B. Geetanjali, Director of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, is said to have written to employees to cope with the situation.

“With increasing number of positive cases in the State, we now need to get ready to cope with increasing number of COVID-19 positive patients in our hospital. This means optimizing and removing healthcare workers from non-essential areas and posting them in essential areas,” she mentioned in her letter.

“Patients should not be admitted directly from outpatient department, unless they are in dire need of emergency treatment, in which case it should be through casualty only. Elective admissions to ward should be restricted, if not stopped,” said AIIMS-Bhubaneswar director. As of now, AIIMS-Bhubaneswar has reported more than 40 COVID-19 positive cases including resident doctors.