Vizag gas leak occurred in COVID containment zone, doctors worried

Vishakapatnam: Visakhapatnam: The toxic gas leak at the LG Polymer plant in Vizag, the industrial and financial hub of Andhra Pradesh, has rattled a state that is already dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, what has the doctors worried is that the gas leak victims are from Gopalpatnam, a containment zone that has registered Corona-positive cases.

“We don’t know if any of the gas leak victims here in KG Hospital has been infected with the virus. It was like an avalanche as the victims were rushed to various wards here in ambulances, cars, and even two-wheelers. We did not have the time to put on PPEs and, anyway, they are not available here because we don’t treat COVID-19 patients. We simply had to jump in to save the victims,” said Dr Adarsh at KGH’s Rajendraprasada Ward.

Another doctor said there was no time to follow the guidelines issued to treat patients during a pandemic. “One after another, there was a flood of victims being brought unconscious and some of them were even vomiting blood. You can understand the chaos. Several of them are feeling well now,” he said, hoping for the best.

It was not only the effects of the toxic gas that doctors were treating. Some people died while many are in a critical condition due to head injuries sustained when they collapsed on the ground following the leak, said the doctors.

The COVID-19 containment zones in Visakhapatnam district are Gopalpatnam, where the incident occurred, and Allipuram, Revidi (Padmanabham), ITI Junction, Muslim Thatichela Palem, Santi Nagar (NAD), Railway New Colony, Dandu Bazaar, Maharanipeta, Rangireejuveedhi (Poorna Market), Kunchamamba Colony (Gajuwaka), Chengal Rao Peta, Madhavadhara, Chintalapalem (Kasimkota), Komativeedhi (Narsipatnam), and Marripalem.