COVID-19 infections reported from Odisha’s educational institutes

Rourkela: In Sundargarh, Odisha, Covid-19 cases have been reported, and the disease is spreading like wildfire through educational institutions. On Wednesday, 53 more pupils tested positive for the virus at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Sargipali, bringing the total number of students infected to 89.

The school campus has been declared a micro containment zone, and sick students have been isolated at the school's hostel, according to Sundargarh sub-collector Abhimanyu Behera.

"A health staff insisted on isolating affected people in the dormitory, but parents claimed custody of their children and took them home after signing written commitments." Rapid reaction teams (RRTs) will monitor the health of pupils in home isolation, according to Dr. SK Mishra, the chief district medical officer (CDMO).

Similarly, 13 students and 22 employees and their family members tested positive for COVID-19 at the National Institute of Technology-Rourkela (NIT-R) on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases to 35.

"West Bengal has about 110 professors at NIT-R. They have just returned from their winter holiday in their hometown. Faculty, employees, and their families, unlike students, are not subjected to any testing. Unless checked, we predict additional cases on campus," a source stated.

According to the sources, safety rules like as wearing masks have also been disregarded, resulting in an increase in cases.

In the last 24 hours, Sundargh has reported 262 new illnesses. According to researchers at the Chennai-based Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), the R-value of 2.38 between December 28 and January 2 is likewise the highest in the state.