Indore's COVID-19 tally includes 11 cops: Official

Eleven police personnel have so

far tested positive for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district, a senior official said on Wednesday.

However, the police force is upbeat and standing strong against all hurdles in the battle against COVID-19, Deputy Inspector General of Police Harinarayanachari Mishra told PTI.

"So far, 11 of our personnel, including two IPS officers, have been infected by coronavirus in the district. They are undergoing treatment," he said.

Indore, which has reported over 900 COVID-19 cases so far, is the worst affected by the disease in Madhya Pradesh.

"Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the mood of our force is upbeat. The police personnel are fighting as frontline warriors against this epidemic," Mishra said.

 

At present, nearly 5,000 police personnel are deployed at different places in the district on various duties, including effective enforcement of curfew.

Out of these, 170 police personnel are posted in various containment zones on rotational basis.

Mishra said the police personnel are being provided adequate number of masks, sanitisers and personal protection equipment (PPE).

Steps have also been taken at the administrative level to protect the police personnel from coronavirus.

"As a precaution, police personnel who are over 50 years of age and those suffering from chronic and critical illnesses have been removed from duty in the containment zones and posted at other places in the district," he said.

Out of the 11 police personnel who have so far tested positive for coronavirus in Indore, a 41-year-old inspector died at a hospital on Saturday.

According to a health department official, the police inspector tested negative for coronavirus after the treatment, and doctors suspected 'pulmonary embolism' (blood clotting problem in the artery) as the immediate cause of his death.

But there is also a possibility that pulmonary embolism may have been caused due to the coronavirus infection, the official said.

So far, 923 people in Indore district have tested positive for coronavirus, another health official said.

Of these, 52 patients died during treatment, while 72 were discharged after recovery.

The local administration has imposed curfew in the urban limits since March 25 after the first coronavirus patient was found in Indore.