COVID Scare: NIT Silchar planning for mass testing

As the experts are suggesting that the much-feared third wave of COVID Pandemic has already arrived in India, the spectre of the new variants of this virus is hunting the educational institutes in Assam. IIT Guwahati was declared a containment zone after around 60 students were detected with COVID on Thursday.

NIT Silchar reported five cases till January 5 and on January 6, two more students from Hostel 9 D tested positive on Rapid Antigen Test, but later on, one student came out negative in the RT-PCR test but the other tested positive for COVID. Strict COVID SOPs are placed in both institutions to contain the Virus. But Students in NIT Silchar demanded more sanitizing points in the institute, there should be a sanitizing tunnel at the entry point and a large sanitizer dispenser should be installed at the public place inside the campus.

Also, the students suggested mass testing drive inside the campus, as the 3T strategy (Test, Trace and Treat) strategy was proven effective in curbing the pandemic in many parts of the world.

NIT Silchar authority now asked every boarder of Hostel 9 D to get tested for COVID Rapid Antigen Test, and upon testing positive in RAT, their RTPCR sample will be collected and they will be quarantined in the old guest house complex of NIT Silchar.

On January 6 India reported 1,17,100 fresh COVID cases, On January 5 it was around 98000. On January 6, India reported 30,836 recoveries, and 302 deaths in the last 24 hours Daily positivity rate stands at 7.74% and Active cases are now 3,71,363. Whereas on January 6 Assam added 844 new cases of COVID.