32 Including Doctors From Delhi's AIIMS Test Positive Within A Week

As many as 32 healthcare workers, including doctors, have tested positive for coronavirus in a week in Delhi's AIIMS hospital amid a huge surge in COVID-19 cases in the country. Some of the staff members who contracted the virus have not taken the vaccine, sources working in the premier hospital told NDTV.

AIIMS is the second major hospital in the city where over 30 staff members have contracted the deadly disease. On Thursday, 37 doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital tested positive for coronavirus.

Many of those who have been infected at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital are young and most of them had taken the vaccine. A majority of them have mild symptoms, hospital authorities said.

"Serving Covid patients at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, 37 doctors of the hospital have tested positive for COVID-19. The majority of these corona warriors have mild symptoms. Thirty-two doctors are in home isolation and the rest five are admitted in the hospital," a hospital source said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called Sir Ganga Ram Hospital chairman, Dr DS Rana, to his residence to review the situation. The meeting is expected to take place at 4 pm.

Both AIIMS and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital have been among the facilities which have been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic for nearly a year.

Delhi - like other major cities - has seen a massive spike in coronavirus cases over the past few weeks, and the daily case count breached the 7,000-mark for the first time this year.

On Thursday, the national capital witnessed its highest single-day spike this year after 7,437 fresh cases of COVID-19 were reported. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is among those who have demanded that the vaccination drive be opened to other age groups.

Delhi is among 10 states besides Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala and Punjab that have shown a steep rise in the daily COVID-19 cases accounting for 84.21 per cent of the record 1.26 lakh new infections on Thursday, according to the Union Health Ministry.

Earlier this week, the city ordered a night curfew till April 30 to rein in infections.