As the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) sent throat swab samples for 22 doctors for a second test today, health officials in Alipurduar said 310 samples from the district, including that of 38 students who had returned from Kota in Rajasthan, have tested negative for Covid-19.

It is further learnt that the six persons who had come in contact with a Covid-positive person in Hasimara in Alipurduar, have also been tested negative. At the NBMCH, one of the doctors, an eye specialist, had tested positive for the novel coronavirus on 30 April.

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Nurses and technicians have also been quarantined, along with 21 NBMCH doctors, who had travelled to Siliguri from Kolkata in a single bus. The eye specialist is undergoing treatment at Dr Chhang’s Super Specialty Hospital meant for Covid-19 patients at Matigara in Siliguri.

“The second swab tests were conducted for all those doctors and other medical staff in quarantine and the doctor who was earlier tested positive. We are waiting for the reports,” said a doctor.

In Alipurduar, officials said that 616 samples have been collected for Covid-19 tests in Alipurduar district till date and that reports of 559 samples have reached the district from the NBMCH.

“Only four samples of the persons who came from the AIIMS in Delhi have been tested positive,” sources said. Notably the 38 (6 female and 32 male) who returned to Alipurduar from Kota on Saturday were handed over to their families yesterday after their test results came negative, it is learnt.

The Alipurduar administration had quarantined the Kota returnees at the Madarihat Yuba Awaas in Madarihat. “Four persons who were sent to a quarantine facility directly from the ambulance in which they returned from the AIIMS in Delhi after treatment of a kidney patient were tested Covid-19 positive.

Two of them are residents of Cooch Behar district. There is no other positive case so far in our district,” said a district-level health official in Alipurduar. Training in Balurghat: Meanwhile, in Balurghat, the health department organised a training programme on ‘Management Protocol for COVID-19’ among health staff, including doctors, in the Balu Chhaya conference hall this morning.

It was a training programme followed by an interactive session with experts including Dr Kalyan Banerjee, the Head of department (Medicine) North Bengal Medical College and Hospital and Dr Sanjay Mallick, Prof of Microbiology at the NBMCH.

“The gathering discussed how to deal with COVID-19 patients, the treatment process, and the attitude of nurses towards patients. The experts also talked with ambulance drivers on how they could protect themselves and what measures they should take while carrying a COVID patient. The nurses asked questions on the use of personal protective equipment and the process of disposal of the dress,” sources said. A total of 70 health staff, including scavenging staff, attended the training.

“The health staff of South Dinajpur was earlier trained on COVID-19 treatment process, but some still have confusion and queries on different issues. The experts discussed all those issues and it was a good interactive session. This will motivate the health staff and they will be more dedicated,” the Chief Medical Officer of Health, South Dinajpur, Dr Sukumar Dey, said.

IDA distributes food: The West Bengal State Branch of the Indian Dental Association distributed food among 150 people at Moulali in Kolkata. Functionaries of the branch said food packets were handed over to pedestrians, who were also examined with infrared thermometers.

“Being responsible citizens, it was a minimal effort on our part to stand by the people in distress. We hope to continue with more such philanthropic activities till we overcome this pandemic. We will continue this initiative for the next few days by following the rules of social distancing,” the branch secretary, Dr Raju Biswas, said.