25 students test positive for COVID-19 in IIT Gandhinagar; 40 cases in IIM Ahmedabad

The new wave of Coronavirus outbreak in Gujarat has reached two of the country's top educational institutions, with active cases in the double digits at IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Gandhinagar. According to IIT officials, 25 students at the Indian Institute of Technology in Gandhinagar have tested positive for COVID-19. The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, on the other hand, has 40 active coronavirus cases.

COVID-19 cases in IIM Ahemdabad

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's Deputy Health Officer, Mehul Acharya, informed, "40 people including students and professors at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad have tested positive for COVID-19." He added that in tests conducted at the institute, 23 people were found positive (22 students and a professor) and they were isolated.

Also, the institute said in a statement on Saturday, "The IIM-A campus was almost COVID-free with only isolated cases till March 12. Subsequently, there was a rise in infections, mostly among students. Many of these cases are asymptomatic. All infected persons have been shifted to a quarantine hostel although they are asymptomatic. Staff, faculty and family members have been asked to quarantine themselves at home."

The official release stated, once a positive report is received, the infected students are asked to transfer into the quarantine hostel within an hour and treatment is begun. Students who have tested positive or who have tested positive in the past are not permitted to sit for exams. The IIM-A has been performing free RT-PCR tests for both students and community members, and the pace of testing has been increased in light of new cases, it added.

COVID-19 cases in IIT Gandhinagar

COVID-19 infections have also increased at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar campus. IIT officials said, over the last few days, 25 students have tested positive. "They have been isolated and are being looked after by the institute's medical teams." So far, no members of the faculty or staff have tested positive.

As per the state bulletin, Gujarat recorded 2,276 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 with 5 deaths and 1,534 patients discharged. The total active cases in the state reached 10,871. However, as many as 2,83,241 have recovered so far. The cumulative number of deaths reached 4,484 in the state. 

(with inputs from ANI and PTI)

(Picture credit: PTI/PIXABAY)