Record high: 311 PGIMS staffers have tested +ve in 18 days

ROHTAK: The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) has become one of the hotspots for the novel coronavirus infection as the second wave sweeps through the state with 311 staffers testing positive in the first 18 days of April, of which 51 tested positive on Sunday alone.

A sweeper of the institution also succumbed to Covid on Sunday. A total 37 employees tested positive on April 13, 12 on April 14, 37 on April 15, 13 on April 16, 67 on April 17.

A senior office-bearer at PGIMS said 384 of its personnel had contracted the infection in the second wave. Of which, 311 cases came to fore in the last 18 days,” he said.

All-time high infection rate

“As many as 502 frontline workers had tested positive between September and December. As many as 280 personnel had tested positive in September, the highest in 2020 and the tally has touched 311 in just 18 days this year, which is alarming,” he added.

A spokesperson for the institute said the infection rate was an all-time high since the pandemic began.

“As many as 70 staffers at PGIMS had been found infected in October last year, 92 in November and 60 in December.

This year,32 of our personnel tested positive in January, none in February and 41 in March,” the spokesperson said, attributing the resurgence in cases to people lowering their guard.

“Many health workers were reluctant to get vaccinated. Most of our employees who were found positive have received either one or both doses and are undergoing home isolation.they are asymptomatic,” the spokesman added.

Due to rise in covid cases, PGIMS has curtailed out patient department services to 50% in 36 departments. These departments are burns and plastic surgery (50), cardiology (100), ENT(100), general medicine (300), general surgery (150) and others.

Patients worried after doctors test positive

A 47-year-old man, who was waiting in a queue at the PGIMS for the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test with his wife said he was worried as doctors and other staff were continuously testing positive.

“We are waiting for our turn for the last one-and-a-half hour. Many patients are roaming without wearing a face mask. Many of the doctors and staff nurses of PGIMS have been found infected and are proving to be virus carriers,” he added.