104 IIT-Madras Students Test Positive For Corona Virus

More than 100 students of IIT Madras have tested positive for Coronavirus. With this massive outbreak, the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras campus has shut down all the departments and labs on the premises.

All the 104 students and others who contracted the disease have undergone tests at King’s Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research, Tamil Nadu and they are said to be doing fine. Though the results showed a 20% positivity rate, there is nothing much to worry as all measures are being taken to check Covid-19 spread, said Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan.

Of the 444 samples examined till date, 104 tested positive, he said. From December 1 to 12, samples from the institute turning positive steadily increased from a few to 33 specimens on Monday.

A spokesperson for the institute said as of now, about 700 students, mostly research scholars, are accommodated in nine hostels. Classes are being held online.

Radhakrishnan reportedly inspected the IIT-M campus and visited those being treated at the hospital.

“As soon as we started getting cases, we went in for aggressive testing and contact tracing. A majority of them are students and some canteen workers,” a health official said.

It is being suspected that the infection began spreading from the mess. It is reported that overcrowding at hostel mess led to the spike in Covid-19 cases in the campus.