Symptomatic health care workers liable for test

New Delhi: On Thursday, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) announced that the health care workers who are showing symptoms shall have their Covid-19 tests and if detected positive shall go into isolation and the asymptomatic patients who are into quarantine shall get discharged.

Such a decision has come into force while keeping the present Covid situation in mind. The present time is running short of contract tracing and efficient staffs.

AIIMS stated, “In view of the current situation of Covid-19 leading to insufficient resources for contact tracing, and shortages of staff, the risk assessment and contact tracing of exposed HCW and quarantine of asymptomatic contacts should be discontinued. Only the symptomatic HCW should be tested and only those testing positives be isolated and managed as per the clinical condition’.

AIIMS Delhi exclaimed that the asymptomatic health care workers can get back to their work after 10 days from the date they were detected positive.

The statement further records, “HCW who test positive may be able to join work after 10 days period from the onset of symptoms, provided that they are afebrile for at least last 24 hours without the use of antipyretics and symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) have improved. Those who are asymptomatic may join work 10 days from the date of the first positive test”.

In the earlier part of Wednesday, the AIIMS Covid-19 Task Force has urged his colleagues from other departments to rope in 80% of the resident doctors and members from faculty for the management of Covid-19.