Sambalpur: At least 34 MBBS students of VIMSAR, a medical institute and hospital in Odisha’s Sambalpur, have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past few days, an official said Wednesday.
They have been admitted to the COVID unit of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (Vimsar), he said.
Tuesday, 22 cases were reported from Vimsar, but the count was later found to have increased to 34, the official said.
Authorities suspect that the infection might have spread during the institute’s annual function held recently.
Five hostels – three of boys and two of girls – have been declared as containment zones, a Vimsar official said.
Staff quarters and four other hostels of medical students have been declared as buffer zones. Physical classes have been suspended for 10 days from Tuesday, the official said, adding that lessons would be imparted online.
The coastal state, meanwhile, logged 288 more coronavirus cases, including 53 in the 0-18 age group, taking the rally to 10,47,674.
The toll rose to 8,399 with three more deaths, the health department said.
Eight of the 30 districts did not record any new case.
Khurda district, of which state capital Bhubaneswar is a part, registered the highest number of new cases at 130 followed by Cuttack at 21.
Two patients succumbed to the virus in Khurda and one in Jagatsinghpur district.
Fifty-three other patients have died due to comorbidities so far, according to official data.
The state had registered 212 cases and two deaths on Tuesday.
Odisha currently has 2,221 active cases, while 10.37 lakh people, including 255 in the last 24 hours, have recovered from the disease so far, a health bulletin stated.
Around 2.34-crore samples have been tested so far, 57,546 of them on Tuesday.
Over 2.74-crore people have taken the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while nearly 1.47-crore people have been administered both the doses.
PTI