BENGALURU: A Covid-19 cluster outbreak was reported in Sri Chaitanya PU College, in Huskur, Electronics City, with 60 students testing positive. A 17-year-old second-year PU student first contracted the virus, it was reported.
According to officials from Anekal taluk, the college reopened on September 6. The PU student, who developed cough, cold and mild fever, went to the local testing centre on Sunday, where a RAT gave a positive result. Her RT-PCR report, which came a day later, also came positive. By this time, many other students in the hostel also started showing symptoms and tests were performed on the same day. At least 24 students who underwent RAT tested positive, while the rest took RT-PCR test.
Taluk Health Officer Dr Vinay Kumar said, “Of 550 students in the college, we tested 300, and 60 came positive. Tests are being done on other students living in other blocks too, which include first-year PU students. The campus is declared a containment zone, and we have shut the college for 14 days.”
Asked if the students had a travel history, Dr Vinay said, “College reopened on September 6, and all students have attended classes since then. Some came from their home towns in Tamil Nadu before September 6. As the time-frame of students testing positive is large, we cannot say it is due to travel history. But we are checking.”
Among the 60 patients, 30 were found to have symptoms, and medical professionals from Vimlalaya Hospital in Huskur are keeping tabs on the students and providing medication. Meanwhile, a college staffer said there was utter chaos on campus as many parents came to college asking to take their children home, especially those whose children tested positive.
“Since some of the students are from different districts and states, they live in hostels. On learning about the outbreak, parents are asking us to send them back. The District Surveillance Officer will take a call whether they can go back,” said a staffer.
In early September, two cluster cases were reported in BBMP city limits -- 34 students tested positive in a Horamavu nursing college, and 24 students contracted the virus in Dhanavantri Nursing College.
“It is important for district health officers to keep a tab on the clusters and not let them spread. Efficient management is necessary,” said a member of the Covid Task Force.