Twenty students of the Gantyada Zilla Parishad High School tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.
Medical teams conducted tests for the children who have been attending school for the past 12 days following the instructions of the Vizianagaram District Medical and Health Officer, S.V. Ramanakumari.
“Fortunately, all the infected children looked healthy without any complaints and symptoms of COVID-19. However, we have shifted them to the Vizianagaram Government General Hospital for treatment. COVID-19 tests are being conducted for the family members and the primary and secondary contacts of the children,” said Ms. Ramanakumari.
“We requested the Education Department not to open the schools in containment zones. The issue has been brought to the notice of Collector M. Hari Jawaharlal and other officials concerned for necessary action,” she added.
Cases fall
Meanwhile, new infections have come down significantly in the district. From around 500 a day earlier, the cases dropped to 225 on Saturday. The death toll reached 188 but not fatalities have been reported in the last three days.
The total positive cases in the district are 35,997, recoveries 33,103 and active cases 2,706.
Confidence booster
On the other hand, the total cases in Srikakulam district are 40,612 and active cases are 3,539.
Srikakulam Government General Hospital’s COVID-19 wing in charge R. Aravind said that they were witnessing increased confidence levels among the patients now. “The speedy recovery of some patients has boosted the confidence of other in-patients, which is the real weapon to fight coronavirus. Continuous supply of oxygen from a centralised system and special care for critical cases helped us prevent deaths in the hospital. The drop in new cases is a big relief for everyone,” said Dr. Aravind.
