Sundargarh: Fifty-three more resident students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Zinc Nagar in Sundargarh have tested positive for Covid-19. The educational institution was later declared as Containment Zone to curb the spread of virus, authorities informed Thursday.
A source said that as many as 36 students had previously tested positive for the coronavirus. With the detection of fresh cases, tally of infectees in the residential school in this district has reached 89.
“Tally of the infected students in the Central government-run school is likely to escalate as more swab samples have been sent for RT-PCR testing following detection of Covid-19 cases January 4 (Tuesday). All classes at the school were immediately suspended and the infected students were put in isolation in the hostel. Health condition of all of them is stable now,” Head of the Navodaya Vidyalaya expressed.
Also read: Odisha registers 1,897 new Covid-19 cases; 258 below 18 years
“Contact tracing of the Covid-19 infected students has already been initiated. Sanitisation of the school premises is underway. A medical team has been regularly monitoring the health conditions of infected students,” Sundargarh Sub-Collector Abhimanyu Behera stated.
“As many as 10 students of the school had initially shown mild flu-like symptoms. After conducting their rapid antigen tests, all of them were found positive for the Covid-19. Later, during contact tracing, swab samples of 160 more students were collected and sent for RT-PCR testing. Now, 53 of them were found to have contracted the disease,” Sundargarh Chief District Medical Officer Dr SK Mishra said.
“We insisted Principal of the school to isolate all infected students in the hostel. However, parents later demanded to take their ward’s back home after submitting written undertakings,” the CDMO added.
Rapid response teams (RRTs) will keep watch on health conditions of the students who are in home isolation, for at least next 10 days.
“In the beginning, authorities of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya did not inform parents about the Covid-19 situation and apprised us about it much later as the scenario worsened,” many parents alleged.
“Access to the residential school including its hostel has been sealed. Necessary arrangements will be made for RT-PCR testing of the remaining staff and students. They will also be vaccinated on a priority basis,” Sundargarh district Collector Nikhil Pawan Kalyan said.
It is pertinent to mention, the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Rourkela has reported 23 Covid-19 cases so far, including three cases detected January 3. The infected students are now in isolation.
Odisha registered a sharp spike in daily Covid-19 caseload. Infections continue unabated as 1,897 more persons including the 258 children below 18 years of age tested positive during the last 24 hours. Khurda district registered highest 669 fresh infections, followed by Sundargarh (262), Cuttack (148), Sambalpur (125) and Balasore (100).
PNN