![MMC students test positive for coronavirus](http://media.assettype.com/tnm%2Fimport%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fcorona_new1200x800.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
Forty-two post-graduate medical students from the men's hostel of the Madras Medical College tested positive for coronavirus on Friday. Around 60 samples were sent for testing out of which, 42 of the medical students have tested positive.
According to the reports, most of the students who tested positive are asymptomatic and are stable. However, one of the students who were discharged following recovery last week, has once again tested positive.
Majority of the doctors who have tested positive have been admitted to the ESI Hospital, Ayanavaram. The men’s hostel, which has been closed for disinfection, has 250 PG doctors. The 42 students were working in the cardiology, emergency unit and anesthesia departments of the hospital.
As doctors and medical professionals continue to test positive, the doctors have started to demand for a quality check of the PPE kits and the increasing of quarantine period from seven days to 14 days. The lack of adequate staff and overburdening of work are also said to be the reasons for the rampant spread of infection among the students.
The students of Madras Medical College already staged a protest in the last week of April since two PG students tested positive for coronavirus. The men’s hostel was declared a containment zone and was closed for a few days. However, the COVID-19 results of the students were not disclosed, alleged the PG medicos. Though the hospital said that a few of them tested positive, they later denied saying that the information was not true.
As of Friday, Tamil Nadu recorded 1,933 new cases of coronavirus taking the total number of cases in the state to 40,698. Of the total 1,933 cases, Chennai alone recorded 1,477 new cases. The state currently has 18,281 active cases and 1,342 patients were discharged on Friday.