19 health workers test Covid-positive at NBMCH...10 more Malda officials down with virus

SNS, SILIGURI, 4 JANUARY 22: Several health workers, including junior doctors, nursing staff, and students of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) in Shave have tested positive for Covid -19.

At least 19 such health workers are down with the virus there amid reports of a large number of doctors, nurses and health staff, and senior health department officials testing positive at other places. Sources, however, said the number of "positive persons" could be more and that included some doctors too.

"A total of 19 healthcare workers, including 14 MBBS students, three nursing staff, and two workers at the pharmacy department have been found positive for Covid-19 so far," said NBMCH superintendent Dr Sanjay Mallik.

According to Dr Mallik, they had adequate bed strength for Covid treatment. He said the selected samples will hbe sent to the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics at Kalyani for genome sequencing.

Officials at the NBMCH, however, failed to say how the health workers in such numbers caught the infection at one go.

Expressing concern over the situation, some NBMCH doctors said that if the spread of the disease cannot be stopped, it might have a huge impact on the healthcare infrastructure.

A senior doctor of the ENT department said they were worried that their anti-bodies could be "declining." He also expressed concern over the rapid spread of infection at the health facility.

"Many doctors and health activists had taken the second dose more than nine months ago. We do not know whether the antibodies of many of us have waned, and that could be the reason that a large number of health professionals are infected with Covid-19. I hope that they had followed the Covid appropriate behaviour," he said.

"It is a matter of concern as Omicron, the new variant of Coronavirus is spreading fast. Utmost importance should he given to following all the Covid protocol like the use of masks. Avoid unnecessary movement, but there is no need to panic," Dr Mallik said.

Covid vaccination

A total of 6737 teenagers in the age group of I5 and 18 received vaccines against Covid-19 in 13 schools and other central vaccination sites on the second day in Darjeeling district today, officials said.

10 more Malda officials down with virus

SNS, MALDA, 4 JANUARY 22: Adding to the panic already caused by detection of Covid-19 in two top district administration officials, 10 more officials, including the Additional District Magistrate (D) Mridul Haldar, have tested positive for the virus in Malda. Mr Haldar is in home isolation and he had been suffering from fever for the past two days, it is learnt.

"RT-PCR tests of many administrative officers were conducted yesterday by collecting samples and this shocking result came last night. A wave of panic has gripped other employees in the collectorate building, the office of the DM. For the time being, the offices have been sanitized and only 50 percent of the employees are working in there," a source said.

It is further learnt that in the absence of the top officials, only files that can be worked online are being looked into presently.

On the other hand, the district police and the administration have taken strict measures to stop further spread of the coronavirus in Malda district.

Police from the English Bazaar police station raided shops, shopping malls and markets in different areas t his morning and they also hit the streets in the heart of the town like Rathbari More, Foara More, Netaji Subhash Road area, to make people aware of the Covid guidelines and ask them to wear face masks. Police have arrested 24 persons for violating the government restrictions. The police have also carried out raids in several markets, including Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Market and Netaji Pouro Market in English Bazaar and saw to it that people there wore the masks.

According to sources at the Malda Medical College and Hospital, District Magistrate Rajarshi Mitra and his wife, and Additional District Magistrate Vaibhav Chowdhury have already tested positive for the virus yesterday and they are in home isolation presently.

However, health officials in the district have said that the officials are doing fine and are in home isolation.

"Extensive surveillance has started in areas under different police stations in Malda district, following the instructions of the state government. Police and administration officials have also started a campaign to make people aware of the dangers of corona virus infection.Various shopping malls and shops are closing down at 10 pm," an administrative source said.

According to a top police officer in English Bazaar, all measures are being taken to prevent the spread of the virus.

"Police have taken initiatives to distribute free masks among the people in the streets, while legal action is also being taken against those who deliberately violate the protocol," the officer said.

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