A separate ward has been set up at the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital here to treat persons affected with COVID-19 among foreign returnees and patients from United Kingdom.
Following reports of a new variant of COVID-19 in U.K., measures are being taken to monitor returnees from U.K. and other foreign countries to identify patients affected with the variant. According to health officials, no person affected with the new COVID-19 variant has been reported in Salem till date.
R. Balajinathan, Dean of the Hospital, said, “following guidelines from the State government, a separate ward has been set up in the Hospital, away from the existing COVID-19 ward. The ward had 29 beds including nine intensive care beds. Four doctor teams had been formed in rotational basis to work in four shifts. Each team comprised a doctor, staff nurse and a health worker.”
Dr. Balajinathan said there were only 54 COVID-19 positive cases on treatment in the hospital at present.
R. Selvakumar, Deputy Director of Health Services, said all the 74 persons returned from foreign countries here tested negative. “Around 170 contacts of the returnees have also been tested and they have also tested negative. However, they have been advised home quarantine for 14 days and health staff are following up with them regularly,” he said. There was sufficient bed strength in the district in case of a surge in cases, he added.
