Infection fear up over upcountry patients’ arrival at CMC Hospital

Relaxation of lockdown norms has resulted in more than 2,500 patients and their attenders arriving in Vellore from states like West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand recently.

At the height of the lockdown three months ago, nearly 7,000 stranded upcountry patients and attenders were sent back home in batches through special trains arranged by the district administration which also had the onerous task of providing those staying back in Vellore with three meals a day.

While the patients are admitted to CMC Hospital, it is the attenders who stay in lodges in the by lanes surrounding Gandhi Road in front of the hospital who have made local residents jittery.

Gandhi Road, which was bereft of business so far, has started booming again due to the relaxation in pandemic norms. Naturally the attenders of the patients walk freely around for daily purchases.

Health officials said, “We constantly check them for coronavirus infection every fortnight and have repeatedly advised them against venturing onto the streets. But this rule is scarcely followed.”

Accepting that upcountry patients’ arrival to CMC Hospital had increased health officials’ workload, senior officials said “We have enough stocks of test kits and personnel and have thus ensured that a fever camp is conducted in the area daily where up to 60 persons are checked. We also distribute kabasura kudineer daily to local residents to build their immunity.”

However, the daily health report put out by the district administration includes other state persons also in the COVID-19 cases tally, though officials said that in the report to Chennai they would be marked “imported.”