19 more test positive at IIT-Madras

This takes the total number of cases in the cluster to 79

With testing for COVID-19 continuing on the IIT-Madras campus after a cluster surfaced last week, 19 more persons tested positive for the infection on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the cluster to 79. The Health Department has decided to expedite the saturation testing on the campus.

“There are 7,000-odd students here. Our focus was on saturation testing at the hostels where the cases were reported and certain workplaces. But we are exercising abundant caution, as some students from the hostels could have interacted with others in the place of study. So, after our initial local plan to focus on symptomatic people, we have decided to take it headlong and complete the saturation testing,” Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan said.

He said there was a possibility that a person who tests negative for the infection now could test positive after four days.

Another 1,121 samples were lifted from the campus on Monday. They included 407 samples from Cauvery hostel, 259 samples from Godhavari hostel and 130 samples from Saraswathi hostel. The results would be known on Tuesday.

From April 18 to 25, a total of 2,058 samples were tested, of which 79 have returned positive for COVID-19, registering an overall positivity rate of 3.84%.

Contact-tracing of all students was done. Except for two students, all of them were isolated in Taramani hostel. One student was admitted to a private hospital and another left for their native place before getting the result. Two staff members were in home isolation, according to officials.

Saturation testing and trace-treat activity continued at the institute for the fifth day. The Health Secretary, along with the zonal health officer of the Greater Chennai Corporation, inspected COVID-19 control activities, saturation testing, contact-tracing and advocacy of COVID-19-appropriate behaviour on the campus.

He said there was large-scale abandonment of masking in educational institutions and workplaces. “This puts us at risk, as we do not know who was exposed or was the carrier among us. We visited a few colleges and found that people were not wearing masks. People should wear masks for self-protection,” he said.