By Siraj Khan, Nepalgunj, Aug. 14: Services of Nepalgunj Teaching Hospital of Nepalgunj Medical College have been affected following placement of 50 health workers in quarantine and isolation owing to infection of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

The health workers were sent into isolation and quarantine after some of them were found infected with the virus while some of them were in close contact with the patients who came for health services in the hospital and later tested positive for COVID-19.

Dr. Roman Kidwai, assistant director of the hospital, said that service delivery of the hospital was affected after so many staff of the hospital had to be placed in quarantine or isolation.

He said that three doctors and three health workers who got infected were placed in isolation after they came in direct contact with the patients who came to hospital for checkup but did not know they were COVID-19 positive. And 44 other that include doctors and health workers who came in close contact with the infected doctors and health workers were put in quarantine.

Assistant director Kidwai said the hospital had not halted any services despite the threat of virus infection in health workers as community transmission was already seen in this border town.