Eight more COVID-19 cases from IIT-Madras, tally now 191
Tamil Nadu govt orders Covid testing in all colleges
Chennai, Dec 15: Eight more people have tested positive for coronavirus on the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras campus here, taking the tally in the institution to 191, a senior health official said on Tuesday.
Out of the 978 samples lifted from the IIT-M since December 1, a total of 191 people have tested positive till date and results for 25 specimens alone were yet to be received, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary, J Radhakrishnan said.
From 104 on Monday, with the addition of 87 more positive cases, the IIT-M's COVID-19 tally stood at 191.
Six students have tested positive for the virus at Anna University too.
The Tamil Nadu government has intensified Covid testing on campuses and has ordered testing at all colleges and universities after the IIT-Madras break out.
For testing, as many as 539 samples were taken on Monday alone which includes workers in addition to students and from this batch, 79 tested positive, he said.
The overall positivity rate vis-a-vis the institution has however gone down to 15 per cent from about 20 per cent seen earlier, he said.
A majority of those affected were students and the rest being people like workers in canteens. All of them are being treated at the government-run King's Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research here.
Following the outbreak, the institute shut all its departments and classes were being held online.
Allaying fears over further spread of the virus in the area, the official told reporters that IIT-M was only a localised cluster.
Earlier, similar localised outbreaks were witnessed elsewhere like in a large textile store and in a gathering for a feast and hence, people should wear masks always without fail and follow all other norms to help prevent the virus spread, he said.
Testing would be done for those associated with facilities like canteens in educational institutions and mansions for early identification of positive cases and treatment, he said.
Media statement from #IITMadras - 14th December 2020 pic.twitter.com/atJSrxP1sR
— IIT Madras (@iitmadras) December 14, 2020
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi records high of 32.7 deg C; AQI remains 'moderate'
New Delhi (PTI): The maximum temperature in Delhi settled at 32.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 1.3 notches below the seasonal average, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 20.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 1.3 notches below the average for the season, while the relative humidity stood at 46 per cent at 5.30 pm, the IMD said.
The weather department has forecast a partly cloudy sky for Monday with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 34 and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The air quality remained 'moderate' at 4 pm, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 134, a slight drop from Saturday’s 137, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
