Baripada: As many as 26 girl students of a tribal residential school at Chamakpur locality under Thakurmunda block in Mayurbhanj district have tested positive for Covid-19, the headmaster said Saturday.
According to the source, swab samples of the students were collected and sent for RT-PCR testing after majority of them showed symptoms of cold and cough. The swab samples were sent to Baripada district headquarters hospital (DHH) for testing and reports came Friday.
The infected students have been put in isolation on the school premises. Contact tracing of the 26 students is underway and all other students of the residential school will soon undergo RT-PCR test later in the day as part of Covid-19 safety protocol, the headmaster informed.
The tribal school has a total of 259 students and 20 employees.
Following the detection of 26 Covid-19 infected students, Karanjia Sub-Collector, Thakurmunda block development officer (BDO) and tehsildar including a team of doctors have reached the school to take stock of the situation and take necessary precautionary steps.
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It is pertinent to mention, at least 53 students of a government aided girls’ high school in Sundargarh district had tested positive for Covid-19 November 23. Earlier this week, 31 students of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla of Sambalpur district were also tested positive for Covid-19.
Later, the tally in the state-run medical college and hospital reached 56 as more students tested positive for the virus. Sambalpur district administration has declared several hostels and staff quarters of VIMSAR as micro containment zone and buffer zones after as many as 31 MBBS students tested positive for Covid-19, recently.
PNN