39 doctors, staff at Delhi’s Max Hospital quarantined after 2 patients test Covid-19 positive

Thirty nine staff members, including doctors and nurses, of the Max Hospital in Delhi’s Saket were asked to go on self-quarantine after two patients tested positive for coronavirus.

The 39 people also include ward boys and other employees of the private hospital.

The hospital said in a statement, "Two patients admitted for cardiac treatment tested positive for Covid-19 a few days ago. 39 healthcare workers, who were contact traced, have been quarantined with in a separate and isolated wing at Max Hospital, Saket."

Sources say they came in contact with two patients who were admitted at the hospital for heart-related procedures, but later tested positive for coronavirus.

Now the authorities have asked all those who came in contact with the two, to go into self-quarantine.

The group of 39 staffers is being tested for Covid-19.

The hospital also said, "All 39 individuals are asymptomatic and will be tested on the 5th day of exposure, which is tomorrow 14/04/20."

"There are 154 employees deployed in shifts in the Covid ward of Max Hospital, Saket. None of these employees has had any exposure to the virus," the hospital added.

Earlier, around 30 healthcare workers including doctors, nurses and technicians at the Cardio-Neuro Centre in AIIMS Delhi were advised to undergo quarantine in a similar move. The move came after a 72-year-old man who visited AIIMS with neurological problems tested positive for Covid-19.

Several doctors and other medical staff across Delhi hospitals have tested positive for coronavirus earlier, including some mohalla clinics.

Clarification: An earlier version of this story had erroneously said that 150 staffers at the hospitals have been quarantined, however, only 39 people have been quarantined. The mistake has been corrected.