By Nabaraj Kattel, Biratnagar, July 28: With the number of health workers infected with the novel coronavirus increasing, the Biratnagar-based hospitals have been turning into centres of infection transmission.

Risk of virus transmission in the regular patients who visit hospitals for health check up has also heightened along with the rise in the number of infections in health workers with no travel history.

As many as 10 health workers and officials of two hospitals were found with the SARS-CoV-2 infection on Tuesday itself.

Ramesh Karki, Chief of Public Health Division under Biratnagar Metropolitan City, said that 18 persons had tested COVID-19 positive in Biratnagar on Tuesday.

Of the infected, one is a doctor and seven are health workers of Koshi Hospital, Biratnagar.

On Sunday evening, the virus infection was found in a nurse working at post-natal ward of the Koshi Hospital. Swab sample of 31 persons were collected on the basis of tracing of people who had come in direct contact with the nurse. Of the 31 swab samples, seven samples reported COVID-19 positive.

Likewise, three workers of Birat Nursing Home (Biratnagar Hospital) have also tested positive for the virus. The virus infection was confirmed in the director of Biratnagar Hospital last week. On the basis of his contact tracing, four nurses of the hospital were detected with the virus infection on Sunday. While on Tuesday, three more officials of the hospital tested COVID-19 positive.  

Moreover, two males of BMC-6, a female and a male of BMC-10, a male each of BMC-13 and 5 have also tested positive for the virus.

The travel history of a doctor and director of Biratnagar Hospital has not been ascertained yet. However, on the basis of their contact tracing, 14 COVID-19 patients were identified in the district.

In the last 10 days, 37 persons with no travel history were found to have been infected with the virus in Biratnagar.