BENGALURU: What does it take for one-day or two-day-old infants to become Covid positive? Sheer carelessness of hospital authorities. Pregnant mothers, who delivered at the BBMP Maternity Hospital in Ulsoor since Tuesday, and their infants have been termed ‘high risk’ and will be quarantined after an operation theatre technician at the hospital tested Covid-positive on Friday.
The hospital too will be sealed. Investigations revealed that the technician had gone to his hometown and returned to the city by bus on Tuesday. Instead of placing him under quarantine for a few days, the hospital allowed him to resume duties on Tuesday, and he tested positive on Friday, putting over 20 people at risk.
He has been sent to a Covid-designated hospital, while specialists are visiting the hospital to check if any new mothers and infants are infected. Though the throat swabs of all the employees at the hospital had to be taken immediately, the health department has decided to carry out the critical procedure only on Monday which means many more could be infected. BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar said, “I will speak to the staff there and get them tested.’’