After IIT-Madras, a COVID-19 cluster has surfaced at another educational institution. Twenty-five persons have tested positive for the infection at the hostels of Sathya Sai Medical College in Chengalpattu district.
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On Friday, Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan inspected the control measures being taken in the hostels, along with Collector Rahul Nadh and Deputy Director of Health Services B. Baranidharan.
According to Health Department officials, some persons were symptomatic on April 30. The samples of seven of them returned positive on May 3. Then, another 18 of the 32 persons tested turned positive on May 5. So far, 39 samples had been tested on the campus.
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Among the 25 persons, 10 were in the boy’s hostel and eight in the girl’s hostel. Following the emergence of the cluster, the Health Department has taken up testing of all students in the hostels and their close contacts. There were 439 students in the boy’s hostel and 530 in the girl’s hostel.
Officials said the affected were mainly first-year students. They joined the college on April 22 and 23. Most of them were from other States and districts.
“We are testing all students in the hostels, workers, security guards, nurses and doctors who initially treated the patients, and others who came in close contact with them. In total, we will have 1,000 persons who are being tested. We have taken up saturation testing,” an official said.
The Health Secretary said all those who had tested positive had mild symptoms and were stable and the remaining persons were being tested. The cluster control protocol was in place.