Guwahati: The number of Covid-19 cases at SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital in Karnataka’s Dharwad rose to 178 on Friday, after 112 more samples returned positive.
According to report published in The Indian Express, District Health Officer Dr Yashwanth A Madinkar told that the results of 939 samples have been obtained since Wednesday. “Nearly 3,000 samples will be sent for testing in total from the campus. We have also suggested random testing of patients admitted to the hospital within the campus,” he said.
Dr Madinkar also said some samples would be sent for genomic sequencing to ascertain which variant of Covid-19 has caused the infections.
“All those who have tested positive will be quarantined for two weeks. The health condition of most are stable,” he told reporters after visiting the college on Thursday. He has sought details on the precautionary measures that were implemented in the institute.
A preliminary inquiry has indicated that all those who contracted the infection had attended a students’ programme at D Veerendra Heggade Kalakshetra, located within the college campus, on November 17. Patil said most of the patients were first-year students.
The Deputy Commissioner has reiterated the importance of exercising restraint and caution, advising people in the district to avoid any kind of social gatherings. “The pandemic is not over yet and we should not fail to follow Covid-19 protocols,” he stated.
Dharwad had been recording zero positive cases in the last few days. However, as per the health bulletin issued on Thursday, it accounted for nearly 14 per cent of the total new cases identified across the state.
