14 staff members test positive at Bhatia; two nurses each at Breach Candy and Sushrusha hospitals

Fourteen staff members, including two doctors, 10 nurses, a physiologist and a housekeeping staff from Bhatia Hospital in Tardeo, have tested positive for COVID-19. Reports of more staff members are awaited. Two more nurses attached to Breach Candy Hospital also tested positive on Friday raising fears about the crippling healthcare system in the city.

A hospital spokesperson said all 14 positive staff members have been moved to the Intensive Care Unit and their health is being monitored round-the-clock.

Bhatia Hospital is among the four major hospitals that are currently shut for new admissions and the staff is under quarantine due to fear of exposure to novel coronavirus. “Around 150 more staff members have also been tested as a precaution and the test results are awaited,” the spokesperson said adding that those who have tested negative have been divided into two groups. “The low risk group has been discharged and put under home quarantine, while the high risk group remains under quarantine within the hospital.” The chain of infection at the hospital began after three patients who were brought into the emergency later tested positive.

There were reports of two nurses from Sushrusha Hospital testing positive.

Meanwhile, at Breach Candy Hospital, two more nurses tested positive taking the total number of positive nursing staff to four. Others from the hospital who have tested positive include a cathlab technician, a cook and a receptionist. The technician and cook were both residents of Worli Koliwada which has also recorded many positive cases. All patients were reported stable on Friday.

According to civic officials, 182 Breach Candy nurses live in a hostel in Mahim which has now been declared a containment area. The hospital continues to function with skeletal nursing staff but is only admitting extremely critical patients.

On Friday, a nurse from civic-run Sion Hospital also tested positive and was shifted to SevenHills Hospital. At the Hinduja Health in Khar, where staff members had to be in isolation after exposure, 31 samples have returned negative. The authorities are awaiting results of another batch of swabs that was sent for testing.

Civic officials said that Jaslok and Wockhardt hospitals did not report any more positive cases and the number of infected staff was 21 and 52 respectively.