By Fr Felix Anthony –
Dibrugarh: The local administration of Dibrugarh district in the North-Eastern Indian state of Assam has sealed St. Vincenza Gerosa (VG) Hospital after 12 Nuns including a doctor and a domestic support tested positive for Covid-19 on 4 July 2020.
The superior of the VG hospital community with travel history to Guwahati tested positive on 3 July after she showed mild symptoms of fever and a bad stomach. This led to the testing of all inmates of the community and now 12 Sisters including a domestic support have tested positive for the corona virus.
Four others have tested negative and the entire hospital area is now declared a contaminated zone.
Samples of all other inmates, staff, primary contacts and regular visitors are being collected and sent for testing at Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh.
Expressing shock and grief, Bishop Joseph Aind, SDB of Dibrugarh Diocese said, “It is sad that the lifeline hospital of people in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh has now been sealed. My heart goes out to all the Sisters and the inmates of VG Hospital and I invite everyone to pray for their quick recovery from the disease and for the reopening of the hospital”.
Assam, the worst affected north eastern state, recorded the highest single day spike of 1,202 cases on 5 July. As of today, Assam has 11001 confirmed cases with 6743 recovered cases and 4,241 active cases and with 14 deaths.
In a note to the people of his Diocese, Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao Diocese in Arunachal Pradesh has asked them to pray for the sisters and advised everyone to be extra careful and comply with the existing lockdown restrictions to contain the spread of the virus.
Established in the year 1970 with the goal of rendering health services to the poor people of the locality and to help people get rid of alcohol and drug addiction, VG Hospital is now a 70 bedded general hospital with full fledged psychiatric unit.
The hospital with its General Nursing and Midwifery unit is managed by the Sisters of the Charity of Saints Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa or simply called Charity Sisters or Bambina Sisters.
May the sisters and all those affected recover soon bear witness to God”s healing touch.
We are one with you in our prayers.
Very sad to hear about it. I pray for the speedy Recovery of all of them.