Vadodara: 75 test Covid positive on M S University campus in a day

VADODARA: In a major spike in Covid-19 cases at M S University campus, as many as 75 students, teachers and non-teaching staff members tested positive for the virus.
As many as 36 girl students were found infected with coronavirus on Thursday, of which 20 are said to be from the Faculty of Science. Another 19 teachers and non-teaching staff members of the Faculty of Arts and 20 staffers of the university’s largest faculty — the Faculty of Commerce — have also tested positive, sources said.
With high number of Covid-19 cases surfacing from girls hostel, officials have preponed the testing drive at the boys hostel that was scheduled on January 22. Now, Covid-19 testing drive at the boys hostel will be held on Friday.
MSU with the support of Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) had organised a special Covid-19 testing camp for students of all the four girls hostel of the Halls of Residence on Thursday morning.
Currently, 220 girl students are staying in the four hostel buildings. Of these, samples of 175 girl students were tested through rapid antigen test between 10 am and 2 pm. A girl student had also fainted while she was in queue during the test but later stabilised.
With as many as 36 students testing positive, university officials started making necessary arrangements. University health centre is coordinating for the medications that the girl students are supposed to take.
“We already have isolation wing at all the four hostel buildings. The girl students who have tested positive have been shifted to the isolation wings. At the same time, their parents have been informed that they are currently in isolation at the hostel building. If they want, they can take them home,” said Dr K M Chudasama, officiating registrar of MSU.
Officials said that they will be providing food to the students. “If they want to have food from the canteen/ mess, we will be providing them in disposables,” he said.
On Wednesday, too, there were reports of nearly 51 teachers, non-teaching staffers among others testing positive.