VIJAYAWADA: The number of Covid-19 positive cases at the Andhra University College of Engineering campus in Visakhapatnam has gone up to 69 on Saturday.
District health authorities had on Friday carried out Coronavirus tests on 880 male students studying at the engineering college and staying in hostels on the university campus. Of them, 58 students tested Covid-19 positive on Friday and by Saturday reports of 11 more students came as being positive, taking the total to 69.
With this, test results of all 880 students are out. Except for the 69 students, all others have tested negative. Similarly, authorities have conducted Covid-19 tests on 550 girl students of the campus engineering college. Results are available for 200 students, who have all tested negative. Results of the remaining 350 students are expected to be out by late-night Saturday.
Students who have tested Covid-19 positive have been accommodated in hostel rooms in four isolation blocks. They have been given medical kits containing a pulse oximeter and tablets. Other students have been quarantined in the hostel room of two other blocks. All students are being supplied food packets in their rooms to avoid their gathering at one place and spreading the virus in the process.
Health authorities are also collecting samples of nearly 300 teaching and non-teaching staff for running Covid-19 tests on them. Their results are also expected to be out by late Saturday night.
Authorities say that those who have already tested Covid-19 positive will again be tested after five days to know their status. Accordingly, a decision will be taken whether to discharge them or continue in the same facility for some more days.
Visakhapatnam district medical and health officer Dr. P. Suryanarayana said, “All the students are asymptomatic. Those in isolation are under medical supervision. We are not sending students to their homes at present as a precautionary measure, as otherwise; they may infect their family members.”
Vizag district collector V. Vinay Chand and other officials visited the hostels of engineering students in the university campus to take stock of developments. He said the hostel area has been declared a containment zone and a medical camp has been set up to take care of students. He advised students to follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour by wearing a mask, sanitising hands frequently and maintaining social distance.
The collector advised parents of students not to panic about their children’s health as they are all asymptomatic.
