Bhubaneswar: At least six persons including four doctors and two attendants of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) -Bhubaneswar have reportedly been sent on mandatory quarantine after they came in contact with a COVID-19 patient in Odisha.
The COVID-19 patient is a truck driver from Maharashtra and he was rushed to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar after sustaining critical injuries in a road mishap. Subsequently, the truck driver’s swab samples were sent for tests and he was found COVID-19 positive on Saturday.
Sources said that the doctors as well as the two other attendants who were present at the outpatient unit of the hospital and provided preliminary treatment to the truck driver have been asked to undergo mandatory quarantine as per the existing COVID-19 management protocol.
Earlier, the State health and family welfare department had cleared that as the truck driver is from Maharashtra, the case will not be added to Odisha tally.
In another incident, the staff nurses of MKCG Hospital engaged in Berhampur COVID Hospital today staged demonstration outside superintendent's office protesting lack of institutional facilities, shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and other issues.
Later, the agitation was withdrawn after a discussion was held between sub-collector, hospital superintendent and staff nurses. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the safety of nurses during duty was subsequently issued by the Sub-Collector.
Meanwhile, Odisha today reported 17 new COVID-19 positive cases (By 7 PM), taking the total number of infected persons in the State to 394. The cases were reported from Jajpur, Cuttack, Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, Kendrapara and Sundergarh districts. A highest of 12 cases were detected in Ganjam district while one case each was reported from Jajpur, Cuttack, Mayurbhanj, Sundergarh and Kendrapara today.
As many as 17 COVID-19 positive persons also recovered today including seven cases of Sundergarh, five cases of Khurda, three cases of Bhadrak and two cases of Balasore district, taking the total number of recoveries in the State to 85.