The campus reopened for the second time after being punctuated by a gap of about a month, as the Omicron scare subsided across the country. The English Press Club spoke with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the Pilani Campus, Dr Guru Prasad Burnwal, about how the authorities at the Medical Centre (MedC) prepared during and after the pandemic. 

The Higher Degree students were called back to campus in January, 2021. The medical authorities had started setting up isolation centres and equipping all facilities adequately, well before this date, which made tackling COVID cases easier and ensured students got treated without any delay, on campus itself. During the first and second COVID waves, potential cases had to go to the Birla Sarvajanik Hospital (Sarvi) to get tested. However, this semester, the MedC tied up with them to get samples collected from students’ hostels and receive their results after 24 hours. As part of this tie-up, there are still some beds reserved in the hospital for BITSians, in case of emergencies. Apart from specific logistics, the CMO added that nurses from Sarvi had to be brought in to cater to COVID cases on campus because of a paucity of trained staff. The costs for all these services, except medicines, were borne by the Institute. These medicines were bought from the Government at subsidised rates and made available to patients. 

The CMO explained that the samples collected by the Sarvi are sent to Jaipur since there are no labs in Pilani. A faster alternative is to conduct tests using the Rapid Testing Kits, which were purchased in bulk by the institution as the updated Government guidelines deemed them to be a reliable indication. During APOGEE, these kits were also used to test around ten to fifteen students. The CMO said the kits were ‘highly specific’ and reported genuine, positive cases only. 

When multiple COVID cases popped up during the third wave—around January—several hostel rooms were set aside for isolating students, in addition to the Malviya Studio Apartments. The medical authorities made provisions for patients to get their meals in their rooms and ensured proper sanitisation. Initially, all students showing even the mildest symptoms had to undergo COVID testing. COVID-positive patients were isolated for at least a week before getting tested again. There have been no reported cases so far this semester, and the need for tests arose majorly during APOGEE. The relaxation of rules about movement in and outside campus, too, has not shown any negative consequences. As per Dr Guru, the handful of cases received in the MedC were those of mild fever which subsided in a couple of days.

A weekly vaccination camp was also set up, every Saturday, at the MedC. The vaccination drive was scheduled in phases—starting with those on-campus residents who needed the second dose, then residents above the age of eighteen who needed their first dose, and finally a bracket of fifteen to eighteen-year-olds. It was a comprehensively planned programme, with fifty to sixty shots being given on a busy day at the MedC. The two major vaccines—Covaxin and Covishield—were made available by the Government since vaccination was strictly a public undertaking. A detailed plan for the students of the incoming 2022 batch is still underway. 

Even though the CMO reported that all students on campus are fully vaccinated, he emphasised the importance of following COVID-appropriate behaviour. He mentioned how wearing masks, avoiding crowded places, and regular sanitisation should be givens, even as we witness COVID-19 receding. When asked about the threat that Omicron XE—the new variant of COVID-19—poses, Dr Guru said that the situation is still under control and restrictions will be placed if the Campus Response Team (CRT) deems it necessary. He assured that there was nothing to be alarmed about and students should just follow standard precautions.

Multiple students have also reported symptoms of food poisoning and heat strokes. When asked about the same, the CMO mentioned that the handful of students who came to the MedC were diagnosed with heat exhaustion, a milder form of a heat stroke. Most of the cases of food poisoning could be traced back to non-mess eateries. He advised all BITSians to stay hydrated, bathe regularly, and eat at the mess to avoid these health issues, especially in this scorching heat.