The Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a Medical Ward and Its Containment: An Experience From a Tertiary Care Centre in North India.

Background Periodic outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 in hospital settings amidst the recent pandemic are well known. However, the timely control of such outbreaks was key to preventing morbidity among vulnerable patients as well as reducing sickness absenteeism among healthcare workers. This is the first study of its kind in India. Methods An outbreak investigation was conducted between June 12 and July 18, 2020, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, during the first wave of COVID-19. Results A total of 27 individuals were infected during this time, including people visiting the hospital and healthcare workers. A thorough investigation led us to the epidemiological link between cases and allowed us to bring reforms to the existing hospital policy of screening and admission of COVID-19 patients and those suspected to have the infection. This experience helped us avoid future outbreaks during the second wave of COVID-19 in our hospital. Conclusion The SARS-CoV-2 virus is highly transmissible, especially in hospital settings due to the high burden of patients and close proximity between patients. Timely intervention is the key to effective control of hospital outbreaks, as it can avoid morbidity in patients and reduce sickness absenteeism among healthcare workers.

India and management of COVID-19: A case study on published guidelines.

In the face of the ongoing pandemic, the primary care physicians in India are dealing not only with an increased number of patients but are also facing difficulties in the management of complex critically ill patients. To guide the management plans of primary care physicians, several guidelines have been published by the central and state health bodies. In such a situation, an updated and unifying state, national and international guidelines based on critical analysis and appraisal of evolving data is the need of the hour. In this review, we critically analysed the current existing guidelines that have been formulated within India in light of recent evidence.