Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Fifty-three girls, students of a government-aided high school in Sundargarh district, and 22 MBBS students of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla in Sambalpur tested positive for COVID-19 in the last three days as informed by a health official.
According to the reports, Sister Petrica, Headmistress of St Merry Girls’ School stated that the girls have been isolated and special provisions have been made for their treatment and their health condition is normal, while the educational institute has been shut for a week.
The district administration and health authorities informed that the infected students are studying in classes 8, 9 and 10, and they were tested for COVID-19 after a majority of them exhibited symptoms of cold and cough. The 22 MBBS students of VIMSAR, Burla have been admitted to the Covid hospital. Authorities suspect that the infection might have spread from the institute’s annual function held recently.
The report further added that of the 212 new cases registered in the state, 123 were reported in quarantine centres, while the remaining 89 infections were detected during contact tracing. Fourteen of the 30 districts did not record any new case.
