GHAZIABAD: The health department in Ghaziabad held a Covid testing camp at a society in Crossings Republik on Sunday after five cases were reported in the area over the past few days.
Four of these patients are from one family — a couple and their two daughters, aged 14 and 10 years. On Saturday, a classmate of the elder daughter, who studies in a Greater Noida school but lives in another society in the same area, tested positive.
“About 250 samples were collected for testing on Sunday. The father (42) of the girl had recently travelled to Gujarat. However, it was his 14-year-old daughter who tested positive first on Thursday. After that, the entire family was found to have Covid,” district surveillance officer RK Gupta said.
Gupta said the camp was set up in the society for testing possible contacts of the family and other residents.
As the two sisters and the other girl who tested positive on Saturday study in the same Greater Noida school, the health department in the neighbouring district was intimated. A team was sent to the school later.
Sources said the girls had come to school nine days ago, but had been continuing with online classes for the past one week. As of now, only students of classes X and XII have been going to school for their exams.
A senior health official said the school had got many of the students and parents tested at a private hospital, but none were found to have Covid. “The school has a proper mechanism to report sick cases and has also been carrying out regular sanitisation drives. The school management has been asked to stay vigilant and inform the health department in case more students are found positive,” the official added.
Officials in Ghaziabad said the 14-year-old student, who was found to be positive on Saturday, had possibly contracted the infection from her classmate. The girl, who is having fever, has been kept in home isolation. Samples of the other family members have been sent for testing, Gupta said.
On Sunday, a 57-year-old man from Shalimar Garden tested positive. He works in Noida and has taken both shots of the vaccine. For the past few days, he was complaining of cough and got a Covid test done. So far, 55,697 Covid cases have been confirmed in the district. There are only 17 active patients currently.
