Campus outbreaks fuel Omicron fears

Health workers walk past passengers waiting for testing at Katra railway station, in Jammu, on Monday. Pic/PTI

A rise in COVID-19 cases in some states, including Telangana and Karnataka, where nearly 100 students tested positive in the past three days has raised concerns amid Omicron spread.

At least 43 students of the Chalmeda Anand Rao Institute of Medical Sciences in Telangana's Karimnagar district have tested positive, prompting officials to shut down the campus. The outbreak is believed to have been triggered by a college event held last week in which many students did not wear masks.

"So far 200 have been tested. On Monday, there will be a camp to test all 1,000 on the campus," said the district Medical and Health Officer.

In Karnataka, 69 students and staffers from the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Chikkamagaluru tested positive, said District Health Officer Dr SN Umesh. Two weeks ago, over 300 students had become infected at a medical college in Dharwad after a party. Most of them had received both vaccine shots.

Karnataka's Primary and Secondary Education Minister, BC Nagesh, said that the government will shut down schools if required. "However, in the present situation, all the experts are of the opinion that there is no problem," he said, advising people against panic as "it will be difficult to bring back children to classes".

While Karnataka reported India's first two cases of Omicron, the highly mutated variant has also received Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Delhi. The tally was 21 on Sunday night. India has administered about 128 crore doses so far.

Kerala govt gags health officials

The Kerala Health Department has ordered medical officers and health workers to get permission before talking to the media. The Kerala Health Director VK Raju also warned medical officers to stay cautious while sharing information with the press. Raju said even during an emergency situation, officials should receive prior nod before announcing them, read a notice. It also added that the news has the capacity to mislead people and create a stigma about the spread of infection.

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