Fifty-five persons, including many cancer patients, in Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre (AHRCC), Cuttack, a government-run facility, have tested positive.
These patients were earlier separated from the general ward and kept in isolation after they showed symptoms of COVID-19. Six positive cases were reported from the AHRCC campus in the last week of June.
The SCB Medical College Hospital, Odisha’s leading State-run hospital in Cuttack, too, has reported 11 COVID-19-positive cases, sending the authorities into a tizzy.
The detection of cases in SCB Medical College is a cause for concern as people from a number of districts in Odisha as well as bordering areas in West Bengal depend on this premier hospital.
“We are seized of the matter and are taking action. We will carry out contact tracing as per the protocol,” said Ananya Das, Commissioner, Cuttack Municipal Corporation.
A couple of days ago, staff nurses of AHRCC had staged a demonstration in front of the hospital alleging that their landlords were forcing them to leave their rented accommodations in the wake of detection of COVID-19 cases.
