Students' attendance drops in schools at schools in Odisha's Cuttack
CUTTACK: With the increase in coronavirus cases, especially among children, schools across the district are witnessing less than 60 per cent attendance in the last one week as parents are reluctant to send them to classes
"Around 40 per cent of the students are now not coming to school. We are seeing majority of the absentees are suffering from cold, cough, fever and loose motion. This may be due to season change. As a precautionary measure, we too have advised students having the above symptoms not to attend school till they feel well," said a teacher of a government run high school.
As per official reports, there has been an increase in coronavirus infection among the children for the last one week. As many as 32 children so far have tested COVID positive in the last five days in Cuttack district. All the infected children are undergoing treatment in home isolation. A matter of concern is the slow pace of vaccination of children between 12 and 15 age group.
However, the CDMO Satyabrat Chhotray claimed 70 per cent inoculation of children in the same cohort has been achieved. The vaccination coverage in the 12 to 15 age group has so far been 65.7 per cent in Cuttack's rural areas and 47.12 per cent in Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) area.
Of the targeted 1,44,676 children in rural areas, as many as 95,057 children so far have been vaccinated. Similarly, of the targeted 45,528 children in CMC area, only 21,451 have been inoculated. Considering the tardy pace of the vaccination drive, CMC Commissioner Nikhil Pavan Kalyan after a meeting on Friday, has instructed health officials to ramp up the vaccination drive and complete the same within seven days.
"It is taking time as parents' consent is being required before getting the children vaccinated. However, both the school authorities as well as the health officials have been instructed to achieve the target as early as possible," said the Commissioner.