AIIMS reports 62 fresh COVID-19 cases in 3 days

‘205 staffers have tested positive for virus since March 15’

After two resident doctors each from the Cardiology and Ophthalmology Departments tested positive for COVID-19 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here earlier this week, 11 staff members have tested positive on Friday taking the total number of cases testing positive for the virus in three days to 62, a senior health official said.

He added that so far, 205 AIIMS staffers have tested positive for the virus since March 15 and 150 have been discharged.

AIIMS Medical Superintendent D.K. Sharma, said: “All precautionary and safety measures for our healthcare workers is being taken at the institute. The moment any healthcare worker tests positive, we immediately isolate him or her and initiate the process of contact tracing.”

Healthcare personnel, including resident doctors, nurses, laboratory staff, technicians, sanitation staff and security guards have tested positive at AIIMS.

AIIMS Resident Doctors’ Association General Secretary Srinivas Rajkumar said that since March the association has been writing and fighting for improving safety of hostel premises, sanitation, provision of stay and proper quarantine protocol and adequate testing without any satisfactory response.

“Even issues about quality of N95 masks provided and other components of PPE have not been addressed. The N95 masks provided in many regions of hospital doesnt meet even the Health Ministry’s safety standards, forget international standards,” he said. He added that it is not the virus that the staff is worried about but the apathy of the government and AIIMS administration.