COVID-19 Pune: Quarantine team staffer contracts infection despite wearing PPE

Pune: A municipal council health department employee in Daund city who was working in the home quarantining of a team has contracted the coronavirus infection despite wearing the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).

Along with this employee, three more persons engaged in Covid-19 duty - a woman employee at the Sub-District Hospital, another employee from the health department and a 40-year-old private ambulance driver – have tested positive for the disease. These three employees received their test report in the period of July 20 to 24.

The recent case of the health staffer has surprised many in the administration as he used to wear the protective gear while working. The concerned employee was attached with a team, under Health Inspector Shahu Patil, which took citizens to quarantine centres after they were traced to be high risk contacts with any person who had tested Covid-19 positive 

Meanwhile, a total of 30 samples were sent to a lab in Pune city on July 30 of which 21 have tested negative for Covid-19. Patil chowk, Shalimar chowk, Janata Colony, Bangalow side, Pandit Nehru chowk, Gajanan Society, Bhavaninagar and Lingali have been the most affected with nine patients being identified as Covid-19 positive from this area. Of these nine, six are male and three are female patients and their age varies from 18 years to 75 years. 

Recently, 24 family members of a newly married couple from Kasurdi village of Daund Taluka had tested positive for Covid-19. In Daund taluka, excluding the city areas, 194 persons have been tested positive for Covid-19 in the last three months from April to July. Apart from Daund taluka areas, the city areas have also reported a rise in Covid-19 cases. Recently a 10 month old baby and 8 years old boy had tested positive for the disease. Daund has been demarcated as a containment zone and strict lockdown has been implemented in the area.