Omicron scare: Private hospitals seeking patients' travel info

Not leaving anything to chance amid the Omicron scare, several private hospitals have started to record the travel history for the last two weeks of any patient who walks into the out-patient department. 

“The travel history of all patients gets documented at the time forms are filled up for admission. A patient may come with an unrelated symptom and could have visited Cape Town in the last two weeks. We have to rule out all possibilities,” said Bishnu Panigrahi, group head, medical strategy and operations, Fortis Healthcare. 

Doctors, while preparing for the worst, are also advising patients not to panic as there is still no conclusive evidence to suggest the new variant is more lethal. 

“South Africa cases are mild so far. Omicron will happen across the world. We will know better about the variant in about two weeks. We should not panic,” Panigrahi added. 

As an added precautionary measure, hospitals such as Bengaluru-headquartered Manipal Hospitals Group, Global Hospitals, Mumbai, and Wockhardt Hospitals in Mumbai are also starting to ask patients about their travel history. 

“So far, we have not got a case from any of the high-risk countries for Omicron. If we get any such patient, we may opt for an RT-PCR test,” said Dilip Jose, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Manipal Hospitals.

The hospital has also started internal reviews of preparedness in case there is a sudden spike in the new variant. The review is on manpower, oxygen preparedness and how quickly wards can be converted into Covid wards or even ICUs, Jose added. 

Global Hospitals in Mumbai said it is also taking patient travel records, while Centre head of Wockhardt Hospital Parag Rindani said it is starting the process now. 

A 32-year old engineer, who tested positive on his return from South Africa, is still awaiting the results of his genome sequencing. The patient is now asymptomatic and stable, according to sources. 

On overall preparedness with regard to the new variant, hospitals have been taking stock of beds and oxygen availability. Fortis, for instance, said it had enough liquid oxygen tanks and its own PSA (pressure swing adsorption) plants for oxygen. 

A private hospital executive in Mumbai said that in a meeting with government officials this week, hospitals have been asked to remain prepared. “We have one Covid ward now, and most hospitals would have at least one also. Hospitals have been asked to ensure that they coordinate manpower requirements well in advance lest they have to increase their Covid wards,” the executive said. 

The Omicron variant, found first in South Africa, has multiple mutations and led to a spike in cases in Gauteng province of the country. It has been detected in 14 countries but is yet to be found in India.