The surge in COVID-19 cases in India has gripped two of the country's premier educational institutions – IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Gandhinagar – that have reported active cases in double digits.
At least 40 people including students and professors at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad have tested positive for COVID-19, the Deputy Health Officer of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation Mehul Acharya told ANI.
Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar officials, meanwhile, reported that 25 of its students have tested positive for COVID19.
“The IIM-A campus was almost COVID-free with only isolated cases till 12 March. Subsequently, there was a rise in infections, mostly among students. Many of these cases are asymptomatic,” the institute said in a statement on Saturday.
“Over the last few days, 25 students have tested positive. They have been isolated and are being looked after by our medical teams. No faculty or staff member has tested positive so far,” the spokesperson of IIT-G said.
Gujarat is among the few states that have continued to report a surge in the cases along with other states like Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.
Gujarat on Friday reported 2,190 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day rise recorded so far this year, pushing the state's tally to 2,96,320, while the toll climbed to 4,479 with six fresh fatalities, health officials said.
Surat reported 745 cases, of which 609 cases are from the corporation area and 136 cases from the district. Followed by Ahmedabad with 613, Vadodara 187, Rajkot 164, Patan 45, Bhavnagar, and Gandhinagar 40 each among others.
(With inputs from PTI, IANS)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)