38 college students in Narsingi test COVID positive in Telangana

As many as 38 students in Sri Chaitanya Junior College tested Covid-19 positive in Narsingi, Ranga Reddy district. The district medical authorities said 20 students tested positive on Tuesday and 18 on Wednesday after conducting a Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) for Covid-19. Officials said most students who had tested positive were living in hostels and were largely asymptomatic, barring a few with mild fever. They said all 38 samples were sent for the RT-PCR test of which the results would be out on Thursday.

Ranga Reddy district medical and health officer (DMHO) Dr. K.V. Swarajya Lakshmi said, "On Tuesday morning, we got a random call from one of the students that they were suffering from fever and sore throat. Upon receiving the information, we Immediately rushed our teams and conducted RAT tests where 20 students tested positive from 132 samples collected on Tuesday and 18 of them tested positive on Wednesday," the DMOH said.

Lakshmi said she had directed the college management to give mandatory



holidays for seven days to stay away from potential super spreaders such as food handlers and warden boys apart from taking up the containment activities on the premises. She said RT-PCR results would be out on Thursday.

"We have ordered a three-day sanitisation drive and mandatory seven-day holiday after which we will take a call on whether to open the campus or not," she added.

According to the sources, students hailing from Warangal and other neighbouring districts came back after the Christmas holidays. The authorities have now decided to conduct tests for all 300 students who were on the campus. 

District authorities have already alerted parents to take their students for home isolation.  So far, 132 samples were taken and remaining students have been tested. Most of the students studying here are from Warangal, Sangareddy, Nalgonda and Medak. Some of them went home for Christmas vacation. Sources said students might have got infected during their vacation.