Amid byelections, Himachal stares at third Covid wave as cases on rise

Coronavirus is spreading rapidly again, particularly in Kangra, Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Una districts

Amid the bustle of the byelections in Mandi parliamentary constituency and Arki, Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai assembly segments, Himachal Pradesh is seeing a spurt in Covid-19 cases.

More than 750 students of government and private schools have tested positive for Covid since educational institutions reopened in Himachal Pradesh. (Representational photo)

Ever since the byelections were declared a month ago, the focus of the state government and political parties has been on the elections. Till October 28, a total of 4,558 Covid-19 cases were reported from across the state, taking the total case count to 2,23,619, while the positivity rate again climbed to 2.3%.

As many as 69 Covid fatalities were recorded during this period with the case fatality ratio at 1.6%.

Though there is no evidence to suggest that the election rallies caused the latest spurt, but coronavirus is spreading rapidly again, particularly in Kangra, Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Una districts.

Virus spreads among school students

What has become a cause of concern for the state health authorities is the spread of coronavirus among children.

More than 750 students of government and private schools have tested positive since the schools reopened in the state.

This is the number of only those children whose samples were collected at the schools. The number would be higher if the number of those who were detected positive at home is included.

According to the state education department data, among the infected students, 386 are from government schools alone. Half of the students have recovered.

The highest number of 319 students has tested positive in Kangra followed by 208 in Hamirpur and 131 in Una. Sirmaur is the only district where no student has been found positive.

A 13-year-old girl student died of the infection in Kangra on October 21. She reportedly caught the infection after attending a wedding. The district health authorities said the girl was not attending school since October 12. Her family sought medical help only after her condition deteriorated.

The state health authorities have sent samples of 70 students to National Centre of Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, for testing to identify the variant.

Decision on schools at November 8 meeting

Education secretary Rajeev Sharma said the government is closely monitoring the situation. “The government has already announced week-long Diwali vacations from November 1 in educational institutions to prevent further spread. About 4,000 teachers are on poll duty in the state. Their tests will be conducted after they are back,” Sharma said.

Any decision on schools will be taken in a meeting slated for November 8.

Chief secretary Ram Subhag Singh held a virtual meeting with all deputy commissioners on Thursday to review the Covid situation, particularly in schools. Most DCs favoured closing down schools again to check the transmission.

A recent sero survey found 61% children aged between 10 and 17 years had antibodies against coronavirus.

36% of state’s positive cases in Kangra

Kangra, the most populous district of the state, has seen the maximum number of cases. Till Thursday, 1,642 cases were reported in Kangra, which is 36% of the total cases reported in the state. 19% of the new cases in the district are school students.

In September, the district reported 1,341 cases.

Hamirpur district has seen 949 new infections this month, while Mandi recorded 622, Una 452 and Bilaspur 364.

Sirmaur recorded only two cases in October.