The rate of positivity for the coronavirus among healthcare workers in three states _ Telangana, Maharashtra and Delhi _ is double or more than the rate in the general population, according to data shared by the union health ministry on Thursday.
The positivity rate reflects the proportion of people who test positive among those who are tested.
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India’s positivity rate currently stands at around 7%. The country has intensified testing and has been able to conduct more than 1 million tests over three consecutive days.
By comparison, the positivity rate among healthcare workers _ doctors, nurses, paramedics _ is the highest in Telangana, where 18% of those tested were found to be positive. They are followed by Maharahtra with 16% and Delhi with 12%.
The union health ministry has contacted six states where the positivity rate among health workers is “highest.” The other states with a high positivity rate among healthcare workers include: Karnataka, where 13% of those tested are found to be positive, Puducherry with 12% and Punjab with 11%, according to shared data.
“We have been tracking the positivity rate among health workers in the country. They are a precious resource and it is necessary to protect them from infection. We have brought this to the attention of these states and union territories through the Interior Ministry, ”said union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan at Thursday’s press conference.
He cited three reasons for increased infection among healthcare workers: infection control protocols are not followed in hospitals, protective equipment is not used properly, and lack of containment measures in their area of residence.
“The high rate of positivity among healthcare workers raises the question: how do they get infected? Is it from the hospital? That could be one of the reasons. There is a standard protocol for the control of hospital infections. We have to see if it is being followed, if not, we have to follow it. Next, we need to see if healthcare workers are taking adequate protection, that is, putting on and taking off PPE equipment properly. We have also issued a POE for that. We have recommended a buddy system in which there is a group of two nurses or doctors and one sees that the other has put on or taken off PPE correctly, ”said Bhushan.
He also said that if healthcare workers contract the infection in their area of residence, appropriate containment measures would be needed.
“We have also drawn the attention of the states and UT to the localities where these doctors, nurses and support personnel come from. If they bring the infection from their localities, then we have to decide whether those localities have been contained or not. In case there is a need for containment or to declare them as a buffer zone, then that should be done, ”he said.
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