31 more COVID-positive cases at IIT Madras; tally reaches 111

Cases emerging in clusters at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have made authorities conduct random testing on the campus.

IIT Madras reports 31 more COVID positive cases

IIT Madras has reported 31 more COVID-positive cases. The total number of positive cases has now reached 111. Earlier, the institute reported 19 more COVID positives in on Monday. Cases emerging in clusters at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have made authorities conduct random testing on the campus. Reports reveal that 19 more persons tested positive for the infection on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the cluster to 79. The Health Department has decided to expedite the saturation testing on the campus.

Talking about the emergence of cluster cases at IIT Madras, Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan said, “There are 7,000-odd students here. Our focus was on saturation testing at the hostels where the cases were reported and certain workplaces.” He further informed that we are exercising abundant caution, as some students from the hostels could have interacted with others in the place of study. So, after our initial local plan to focus on symptomatic people, we have decided to take it headlong and complete the saturation testing.

He said there was a possibility that a person who tests negative for the infection now could test positive after four days. Another 1,121 samples were lifted from the campus on Monday. They included 407 samples from the Cauvery hostel, 259 samples from the Godhavari hostel and 130 samples from the Saraswathi hostel. The results would be known on Tuesday.

From April 18 to 25, authorities have tested a total of 2,058 samples, of which 79 have returned positive for COVID-19, registering an overall positivity rate of 3.84%. Contact tracing of all students was done. Except for two students, all of them were isolated in the Taramani hostel. One student was admitted to a private hospital and another left for their native place before getting the result. Two staff members were in home isolation, according to officials.

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