COVID-19: Worrying Video Shows Two Children Dragging Discarded PPE On A Road
Two children in Uttar Pradesh's Agra city were found taking a discarded PPE kit which was possibly used for treating Covid-19. The incident seems to be a clear mistake on the health authority's part.
By now we know that, given the COVID-19 outbreak, it's extremely important for healthcare workers to wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) anytime they're dealing with patients. It's one very important step in keep the deadly virus at bay. At the same time, it also needs to be understood that the PPE needs to be responsibly discarded since not doing so can spread the infection.
Hospitals are even expected to sanitise waste before it is discarded. However, a recent video that has surfaced on social media shows a scary side to the same.
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Two children in Uttar Pradesh's Agra city were found dragging discarded PPE which was possibly used for treating someone with COVID-19. How could have such a thing be overlooked. The possible
According to TOI, the children were using the discarded kit to carry firewood for their home and ever since the video has gone viral on social media, tension has increased regarding how Covid-19 PPE waste is being disposed off.
In Agra, kids were found carrying fire woods in used PPE kit at Agra Cantt road @OfficeOfDMAgra @CMOfficeUP @myogioffice @MoHFW_INDIA @WHO @MinistryWCD pic.twitter.com/UIFplULSly
¡ª Arvind Chauhan (@arvindcTOI) May 13, 2020
The video was apparently shot near the DRDO laboratory in Agra Cantonment area. The two boys used the discarded kit to carry firewood to home. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media.
The report further added that the young boys recovered the discarded PPE kit from a garage dump near a graveyard. The graveyard is apparently situated a kilometre away from Railway hospital which is a COVID-19 isolation centre.
One of the children told TOI, "We found the suit from a pile of garbage near a kabristan and took it away to carry our firewood."
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A health department official claimed that all PPE kit-waste is discarded through a private firm and the PPE in the video could be from a private hospital.
Chief Medical Officer of Agra, Dr RC Pandey said that after watching the video, he is sure that the PPE did not come from a government purchase as it looked different. He said, "The kit has a different colour. We have hired a private firm to dispose of hazardous medical waste. The medical waste generated by the hospitals is collected in a separate container. The waste is first disinfected and then sent to the disposal facility. Later, all the waste is disposed of in an electric furnace."
The father of the children also made a statement by saying that the boys had visited the garbage dump to gather firewood and picked up the discarded PPE without realising the dangerous consequences the hazardous waste it could bring.
Waste Medic (Image for representative purposes only)
All hazardous waste related to COVID-19 needs to be cautiously disposed off since the novel coronavirus is a highly contagious disease and could lead to a huge problem.
