Fourteen health workers quarantined in Rajbiraj

Kathmandu - Fourteen health workers including four physicians at the Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital in Rajbiraj have been kept in quarantine after a patient admitted to emergency ward of the hospital tested positive for coronavirus. The medical staff involved in the regular check-up and care of the patient have been kept in quarantine at two hotels in Rajbiraj.

However, one of the doctors sent into quarantine is reportedly still working at a private hospital without going into hotel quarantine. Coronavirus was confirmed in five members of a 73-year-old trader of Rajbiraj-6 who died the night of July 16. Similarly, two people who worked at the shop operated by him and cleaning lady staff at the shop, a neighbour couple and four persons of the family of the tea shop owner who provided tea to the trader also tested positive for coronavirus.

Likewise, the wife, daughter, nephew and niece of a worker who worked at the deceased trader's shop and the wife of another worker have also tested positive to the virus. She is a nurse at the hospital while the 36-year-old woman cleaning staff also works at the hospital. PCR tests were carried out on swab samples collected from 198 hospital employees including doctors, health workers, staffers and 46 patients.

One of the patients had tested positive to the virus on Friday while the rest of the others tested negative. The hospital service has been affected after 14 medical staff working at the emergency ward have been sent into quarantine, the Hospital's officiating medical superintendent, Dr Ranajeet Kumar Jha said. The number of COVID-19 infected people in Saptari has increased and reached 426 as of Friday, the District Public Health Office Saptari stated.