Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor on Sunday, 9 May, wrote to ICMR urging it to study the particular strain of coronavirus on the campus, after 34 teachers, including retired colleagues, died due to COVID-19 and COVID-like symptoms.
In his letter, VC Mansoor said 16 serving and 18 retired teachers besides other employees of AMU have succumbed to the infection in just the last 18 days.
"This is giving rise to suspicion that a particular viral variant may be circulating in Civil Lines area of Aligarh, in which AMU and many adjoining localities are situated," he wrote in the latter, as released by the university on Twitter.
“I kindly request you to instruct the concerned section/department of the ICMR to perform an analysis of COVID-19 samples sent from our lab to investigate for any particular viral variants of COVID-19 virus circulating in Aligarh, which may be giving rise to greater severity of disease, so that we may consider other epidemiological links and measures to control the same,” he added.
Reports suggest that at least 100 patients are admitted in the university’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC).
The press release further stated that the the microbiology laboratory at JNMC is sending samples to the Institute of Genomic and Integrated Biology laboratory, New Delhi, for genome sequencing.
As the university struggles with the surge in the number of cases and deaths, the classes are being conducted online.
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