State demarcates Beliaghata ID as nodal hosp to treat Omicron cases
Kolkata: The state government has demarcated Beliaghata ID Hospital as the nodal hospital for Omicron suspects and positive patients while seven private hospitals in the city have been identified as 'isolation and treatment facilities for Omicron positive patients.
The decision was taken at a meeting at Swasthya Bhawan on Monday in the wake of a rising number of Omicron suspect cases in the city. The incident in which an intern from the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) had tested positive to Omicron even without traveling abroad has prompted the health officials to take various preventive measures. All the districts have already been directed to strengthen surveillance in the wake of the Omicron scare.
The State Health department has selected seven private hospitals where isolation and treatment facilities for Omicron suspects and infected patients would be set up. In case any Omicron suspect wants to stay at any of these government-demarcated private hospitals, he/she can do that. These private hospitals are AMRI Hospitals, Apollo Hospital, Belle Vue Clinic, Woodlands, CMRI, Charnock Hospital, Fortis Hospital.
During the meeting which was led by Sanjay Bansal, Secretary, of the State Health department and Dr Ajoy Chakraborty, Director Health Services, all the seven private hospitals have been directed to keep the patients in isolation till Omicron negative report comes for a suspect. The same will be applicable for Omicron positive patients as well. Confirmed Omicron cases have to be kept in complete isolation from other COVID-19 patients due to the highly infectious nature of the Omicron variant.
"All the demarcated hospitals and also the nodal hospital have to set up three separate areas of isolation. One isolation area will be meant for normal Covid infected patients in each hospital while the other two isolation areas will be dedicated for Omicron suspect cases and Omicron positives. After the genome sequencing report comes positive, Omicron infected patients have to be kept in isolation till two negative RT-PCR reports come negative in a gap of 48 hours," a senior health official said.
Even after an Omicron positive patient recovers from his/her ailments and the report comes negative, the recovered patient has to mandatorily stay in home isolation for next seven days. According to the instructions by the government, samples of all Covid positive patients under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Bidhannagar, Rajarhat and New Town with Ct value less than 30 will have to be shared with the School of Tropical Medicine on specific days. All Covid labs in the city have been informed about the new norms, sources said.
"All labs have been told that besides sample collection, they will also have to share details on vaccination doses of the people being tested and also the travel history within the last 14 days," said the health official.
It may be mentioned here that till date, five Omicron positive patients have been found and they have been undergoing treatment at Beliaghata ID Hospital, AMRI, Fortis, Medica and Woodlands each.
