New Covid clusters in Karnataka: 29 nursing students positive at Shivamogga
As the government has started random testing of students, new Covid clusters have been identified – one at a private nursing school in Shivamogga, another Jawahar Navodaya School in Chikkamagaluru.
Amid Omicron fear in Karnataka with two positive cases reported so far, a new Covid cluster has been identified at a private nursing school in Karnataka's Shivamogga with 29 nursing students testing positive. Most of these students are asymptomatic. "We are doing random sampling at many places and found out that few students, who came from different states at a private nursing school, contracted COVID. We have sealed the hostel premises. Around 29 students have turned positive from the institution," Shivamogga deputy commissioner KB Sivakumar said.
In another cluster, around 40 students of a school in Karnataka's Chikkamagaluru district have tested positive. Reports said this new cluster has been identified at Jawahar Navodaya School at Seegodu.
The cluster outbreak has come at a time the state has already reported the Omicron variant of Covid, first identified in South Africa. However, these cases can't be linked to Omicron unless genome sequencing is done.
The Karnataka government has redefined the rule of announcing clusters and said an area with three Covid cases will be considered a cluster. Previously, the number was 10.
The government has also asked educational institutes to suspend functions while hostel students are also being randomly checked for Covid. Full vaccination has been made mandatory for parents whose kids are attending physical classes.
(With agency inputs)
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