Doctors among 92 hospital staff quarantined as Pune man contracts COVID-19

As many as 42 doctors and 50 other staff of a private hospital in Pune have been placed under quarantine after an autorickshaw driver, who is being treated at the facility, tested positive for coronavirus.

The patient met with an accident on March 31 and was admitted to the DY Patil Medical College and Hospital the same day, said Jitendra Bhawalkar, dean of the medical facility located in Pimpri Chinchwad township.

The next day, he had developed fever and doctors sent his samples for testing on the suspicion of COVID-19. The tests results came positive, said Bhawalkar. The patient was immediately shifted to the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital.

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“We then tried to find out those who had come in contact with the man and quarantined our 42 doctors and 50 paramedical staff members as a precaution. Samples of all of them have been sent for tests,” Bhawalkar added.

Some people claim the man has link to the religious congregation in Delhi, while some say he had transported people belonging to the Islamic organisation, an official said. The patient had hidden the information from the hospital, he said.

However, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar said the patient did not have any connection to the outfit. A senior civic official too denied speculations of the COVID-19 patient having direct or indirect link to the congregation. “The patient is in ICU and is from a different community altogether,” the official said.