By Lalit Basnet, Surkhet, June 22:  Five health workers of Surkhet Provincial Hospital have tested positive for COVID-19 in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test carried out at Surkhet Provincial Hospital/ Avian Disease Investigation Laboratory, Surkhet.

According to Dr Laxmi Narayan Tiwari, Chief of Health Service Division under Karnali Provincial Ministry for Social Development, five health workers of technical department working in Surkhet Provincial Hospital were detected with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

“Out of the five newly identified COVID-19 patients, four are laboratory professionals and one is from radiology department,” added Dr Tiwari.

The ministry has predicted that the virus must have been transmitted via patients receiving treatment at emergency department from June 13 to 17.

On June 13 and 14, two patients of Dailekh and one of Surkhet at the emergency department were identified with the virus infection in PCR test conducted on June 17.

After the patients tested positive for the virus, 42 health workers were kept in isolation out where, five tested positive for the virus.

Dr Nabaraj KC of the Provincial Hospital said that the health workers who tested COVID-19 positive were kept in isolation.

 The hospital has inferred that the virus may have spread in the community as well.

Stating that the situation had become much more difficult, Dr KC said that there was an utter need of separating COVID-19 special hospital from hospitals providing treatment for other diseases.

If test is to be conducted on community level, the number of cases would rise for sure, added Dr KC.