Hockey player Mandeep Singh admitted to hospital after testing COVID-positive
Indian men's hockey team striker Mandeep Singh, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, has been admitted to hospital. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) informed his oxygen level dropped below normal. Mandeep is among six hockey players at Bengaluru's SAI campus, who have tested positive for the virus. Meanwhile, the other five members are being administered by the SAI doctors.
"During night monitoring of vitals on August 10 (Monday) it was found that Mandeep Singh's blood oxygen level was dropping below normal which indicated that he is moving from mild to moderate severity of COVID," the SAI said in a statement.
Mandeep tested positive for COVID-19, after reaching Bengaluru for the national camp, which starts on August 20. However, the SAI in its statement clarified his condition is presently stable. "SAI authorities on campus took an immediate decision to shift him to SS Sparsh multi-specialty hospital as a precautionary measure. His condition is currently stable," added the statement.
The other five other national players who were diagnosed with the virus are- captain Manpreet Singh, defenders Surender Kumar, Jaskaran Singh, drag-flicker Varun Kumar, and goalkeeper Krishan Pathak. According to SAI, the players contracted the disease while traveling to Bengaluru from different locations. Their vitals are being checked four times every day. Notably, the death toll in India has crossed the 45,000-mark.
The national team players were given a month-long break from training, which is scheduled to resume later this month when the 14-day quarantine period gets over. It is understood that all the players and coaching staff, who returned to the centre last week after spending the month at their respective homes, will have to take another COVID-19 test in the upcoming days.
Once the players and coaches test negative, they will be allowed to resume camp as per the Standard Operating Procedure laid down by SAI and Hockey India. While the training will take place with social distancing measures, gradual relaxations will be allowed at a later stage. However, the men's Asian Champions Trophy, which is slated for November (17-27) in Dhaka, could be postponed.
