kochi health departments repeated appeals requesting people with symptoms of covid19 to avoid visiting hospitals directly continue to fall on deaf ears in ernakulam districtthe thoughtless attitude has been invariably affecting the functioning of hospitals as health staff in many hospitals have been forced to undergo quarantine when they come in contact with patients who are tested positive laterpeople with symptoms such as fever cough throat pain breathing difficulties and loss of smell have been advised to call health workers in their respective areas instead of visiting hospitals directly five health staff in indira gandhi cooperative hospital went on quarantine after they came in contact with a kadavanthra native who was tested positive later as many as 15 staff of a private hospital in aluva are on quarantine after a patient turned up requiring emergency attention of the medical teamthe patient came with fever requiring the attention of medical team besides he had no travel history or contact with people in quarantine after giving him necessary medication we sent him to medical college for covid test as we were suspicious of his symptoms when he was tested positive 15 staff of our hospital staff were sent on quarantine currently a second layer medical team is on duty most of the cases being reported in ernakulam for the past one week were contact cases said an official at a private hospital in aluva where more contact cases have emerged latelya couple from paingottoor visited many hospitals in aluva as their fever didnt subsidize they were later tested positive as a result 20 staff of a private hospital in karothukuzhy have been quarantined hospitals carry out screening before allowing patients inside but those who come for other treatment also have been tested positive in the district putting a huge burden on the health system a patient who came for cardiology treatment at ernakulam general hospital has been tested positive for covid so 58 health staff have been sent on quarantinehealth officials fear this will cripple the system when more patients approach hospitals which function in three layers in view of the situation many hospitals now function with a second layer of a medical team the system will collapse if similar situations where people with symptoms come to hospitals directly and expose health staff to infection continues said a health officialhowever senior district health officials said staff wearing ppe kit need not to go on quarantine as they are fully protected from any possible infection those who come under high risk contact need to go on quarantine others wearing ppe need not undergo quarantine the government has already issued an order in this regard to avoid confusion on sending more health staff to quarantine but it is necessary to create awareness among people that they have to approach health workers instead of visiting hospitals directly said the official