VISAKHAPATNAM: The total number of Covid-19 cases in Andhra University Engineering College increased to 110 on Sunday.
Some teaching and non-teaching staff also tested positive for Covid.
As many as 97 students contracted the virus. The entire engineering college campus was declared as a containment zone.
As many as 1,700 students and staff underwent Covid tests after a student from Vijayawada tested positive for coronavirus.
A girl also contracted the virus.
Speaking to TNIE, Andhra Medical College principal PV Sudhakar attributed the Covid spread on the AU Engineering College campus to non-adherence to Covid Appropriate Behaviour by students.
Since segregation of contacts is difficult, all the students who tested negative, are also quarantined.
They will be under observation for a week and if they test negative in the second Covid test, they will be allowed to leave the college campus, he said.
Five hostels were converted into quarantine centres and three hostels into isolation blocks for boys. For girls, three hostels were converted into quarantine centres and one hostel into an isolation block.
Much to the relief of the university authorities, no case of the second variant of Covid-19 has been found among fresh cases in AU as well as in Visakhapatnam district.
“We are sending 5 per cent of samples to the CCMB in Hyderabad a day for further analysis. But there are no reports of new Covid strains,” he said.
All the students and staff are in a stable condition and their condition is being monitored round-the-clock. The average positivity rate is only 1.5 per cent, he said.
Minister for Tourism Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao inspected the AU college hostels where students are quarantined.
He allayed the fears of the parents of students, stating that the best possible medical treatment is being provided to those who tested positive for Covid.
“A total of 550 beds in super speciality blocks and 650 beds in VIMS have been kept ready in case of necessity. Steps have been taken to provide nutritious food to students in isolation,” he said.
More EG Residential college students contract virus
RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: The number of students of a residential college who contracted corona, rose to 230 from 163 on Sunday.
As many as 163 students of the college tested positive on March 22. Covid tests were conducted for all the 900 students of the college.
Twelve more students tested positive on March 24. As many as 56 students were found infected with corona on Saturday night.
The college was closed and the affected students were kept in isolation in hostel blocks. Their health condition is being closely monitored by a team of doctors
