New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu Health department is on a high alert after Covid-19 cases showed a slight increase. The number of Covid positive cases on Tuesday touched 98 and the health department said that the formation of clusters has led to the spike in cases.
Notably, the Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, Anna University, and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) have Covid clusters with students, faculty, and other staff of these institutions reporting Covid-19 positive cases.
Anna University Department of Architecture has also reported clusters on Tuesday and the increase in cases at VIT, Vellore is a matter of concern for the state's health department.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian said, "There is a possibility of an increase in the number of cases as 1,500 students are yet to be tested and the state health department is on a high alert in this matter."
Health officials admitted that the recent clusters in educational institutions pose a challenge to the department's prevention and control measures.
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According to Tamil Nadu health department authorities, IIT-M had reported 237 positive cases, 74 positive cases in Sree Sathya Sai Medical College, and 23 positive cases in Anna university. While cases in IIT- M and Sri Sathya Sai Medical college are under control, six positive cases were reported at Anna university on Monday.
State health secretary J Radhakrishnan has already issued circulars to district collectors of Chengalpattu and Chennai that family clusters are also developing and directed the district collectors to conduct checks on symptomatic persons at district entry points and to isolate them.
The state health department has directed people to adhere strictly to Covid protocols and not to deviate from this including wearing masks, sanitizing hands, and safe distancing.
The department also directed people to vaccinate themselves with the first and second doses of the vaccine and those who have taken both the vaccines to take the precautionary vaccine as well.