As more than 100 students of the Andhra University (AU) Engineering College in Visakhapatnam have tested positive for coronavirus, the authorities have turned a block in the hostel into an isolation ward. As of Sunday, 102 students and staff of the AU College of Engineering were diagnosed with COVID-19. The AU Engineering College COVID-19 cluster came to light when over 50 students tested positive on Saturday. According to the University authorities, of the 102 COVID-19 cases reported on the campus, as many as 96 are male students, one is a female student and five are staff members.
Primary contacts of these patients are being traced and their samples are being tested for the virus to contain further spread. Around one thousand students were tested as per the protocol so far. State Minister for Tourism MS Srinivasa Rao, who visited the University and took stock of the situation, said that all measures are being taken to provide treatment to those who have tested positive for the virus. “The district authorities are taking all the necessary measures to treat those who have been infected with the virus. Isolation blocks have been arranged and the required COVID-19 kits have been distributed. Parents need not worry," he said.
The Minister said that the primary contacts are being observed in another isolation block. Around 550 beds at King George Hospital and 650 beds at the Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) are readily available in case of emergency.
Minister Srinivasa Rao conducted a review meeting at AU Engineering College's meeting hall, along with the district authorities and college officials. AU Vice-Chancellor professor Prasad Reddy briefed the COVID-19 scene on the campus. The Minister further asked the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) to monitor the situation continuously and ensure the treatment of the students who got COVID-19.
In the last 24 hours, as many as 1,005 new cases of COVI-D19 were reported from Andhra Pradesh after 31,142 samples were tested. As of Sunday, the state has reported 8,95,920 COVID-19 cases, 8,83,321 recoveries and 7,205 deaths due to the infection. Currently, 5,394 patients are under treatment for COVID-19 in Andhra Pradesh, as per the latest health bulletin released by the Department of Health and Family Welfare.