More students test +ve for COVID-19 at SV Veda Patashala, giving jitters to parents
TIRUPATI: With six more students along with four faculty members at S.V. Veda Patashala, in Dharmagiri at Tirumala, reportedly testing positive for Covid-19, the parents of other students are getting jittery.
Only last week, 57 students had tested positive at the school. When the school was reopened after the lockdown, all the 435 students had submitted negative RT-PCR reports for Covid-19.
On March 9, however, when a second round of rapid antigen tests was conducted on all students, 57 tested positive and were admitted at the SVIMS Hospital for treatment. In view of this, the TTD also carried out tests to the remaining 378 students and 10 faculty and everyone tested negative.
When the TTD authorities conducted another round of spot rapid antigen tests, six more students and four faculty members tested positive on Monday. They were immediately taken to the SVIMS Hospital for treatment. They are said to be asymptomatic and doing well now.
Health minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas (Nani) inquired about the health of the students and faculty and instructed Chittoor district medical and health officer Dr M. Penchalaiah and SVIMS Hospital superintendent Dr R. Ram over phone to provide best treatment, according to a release from the minister’s office.
On the other hand, over 1,000 employees of TTD were vaccinated in 10 days and one reported side effects. On Tuesday, TTD additional executive officer A.V. Dharma Reddy and Srivari temple chief priest Venugopala Deekshitulu also took their Covid-19 vaccines at Tirumala.
In the ongoing first phase, the employees who crossed 45 years and have comorbidities are being vaccinated; 302 employees took the jab in the TTD Central Hospital and while 710 at the Aswini Hospital in Tirumala.
Meanwhile, a 14-day partial lockdown was imposed at Kammapalli village of RC Puram mandal in Chittoor district, after five people tested positive for the virus. Around 37 cases were reported in the district by Tuesday morning. At present, there are 484 active cases in the district.
