Kolkata hospitals revive early-pandemic protocol to face Omicron threat – Times of India

KOLKATA: Two suspected Omicron cases have led private hospitals in Kolkata to revive their old Covid porotocol, including noting down travel histories of patients with symptoms and isolating those who have been abroad recently or in contact with such individuals.
Use of PPEs is being enhanced and frontline workers have been asked to strictly follow prescribed safety norms. Some hospitals have started identifying areas for a separate Omicron isolation ward.
The AMRI Hospitals, where the first Omicron suspect is now admitted, has revived its Covid Task Force Committee that was formed soon after the onset of the pandemic last year and includes an infection control team, microbiologists and critical care experts.
“We have gone back to the measures that were in place at the beginning of the pandemic. Our health workers have been asked to follow all safety measures since this variant is apparently more transmissible. The suspect has been kept in a separate room even as we wait for the confirmation report. We are also awaiting directions from the government on whether we should have a separate Omicron ward,” said AMRI CEO Rupak Barua. He added that a more detailed travel history is now being sought from patients.
Hospitals stress on checking travel history of Covid+ patients
At RN Tagore hospital, those with a recent travel history to South Africa and certain countries would now be isolated and tested for Covid before being guided to the fever clinic if they have symptoms, ensuring that they don’t come in contact with other patients. “Samples of those with a travel history testing positive would be sent for genome sequencing through the ID Hospital,” said RTIICS zonal head R Venkatesh.
He added that while temperature screening of all patients will continue, suspected patients will now go through stricter screening if they have a travel history.
Isolation rooms are being identified for Omicron patients at Medica, which has also stepped up safety norms since Friday. “In case there is an Omicron spread, we will be ready with separate rooms for each patient. Each Covid suspect is being asked for a detailed travel record,” said Medica chairperson Alok Roy.
Peerless Hospital, too, has alerted its staff about the need to strengthen safety measures and ensure that each patient’s travel history is noted. “We have been diligently maintaining the travel history of each Covid positive since the onset of pandemic. Since the number of Covid patients has gone down, each patient is now given a separate room,” said Peerless CEO Sudipta Mitra.
Hospitals, however, hope that the measures may not be necessary for long since most Omicron cases have reportedly been mild. “The suspect now admitted is asymptomatic and so are a majority of those who have tested positive to the variant. We are keeping our fingers crossed,” said Barua.