COVID-19 ( Coronavirus disease 2019 ), an acute respiratory disease
caused by Novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is declared to be a public
health emergency of international concern by WHO and declared COVID-19
as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. A large number of pneumonia cases
caused by newly identified coronavirus in December 2019 in Wuhan, China.
It was initially named as 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), later
officially named as SARS-CoV-2 by WHO on 11 February 2020. The Chinese
scientists rapidly isolated this virus from a patient on 7 January 2020.
It is a beta coronavirus, enveloped non segmented positive-sense RNA
virus. Human to human transmission occurs mainly between family members,
including relatives and friends who had contact with patients or
incubation carriers. ACE2, Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 found in
lower respiratory tract of humans acts as receptor for virus and
regulates human to human transmission.8 The clinical
diagnosis method of COVID-19 is nucleic acid detection in nasal and
throat swab sampling by PCR and further confirmation by next generation
sequencing.7
The rapid and extensive spread of COVID-19 has become major cause of
concern for the healthcare profession about their personal safety,
transmission of disease to family members, stigmatisation and
interpersonal isolation.1 The outbreak of COVID-19,
caused not only extraordinary public health concerns but also tremendous
psychological distress particularly among health care workers. Health
care workers on the frontlines are vulnerable to infection.
It is a life threatening and life altering event is considered traumatic
enough to elicit post traumatic stress disorder.
COVID-19 is transmitted mainly by respiratory droplets during human to
human contact. It has become hazard for healthcare system, including
pathogen exposure, long working hours, occupational burnout, stigma,
physical and psychological stress, fatigue.2 The
differences in working conditions in hospital has lead to differences in
psychological behaviour of health care workers. The present scenario of
COVID-19 and its effect on health care workers psychology has become
critical, this study assessed psychological status of health care system
in Department of OBG and its allied branches at RLJH HOSPITAL AND
RESEARCH CENTRE.