After a diarrhoea outbreak in the district of Berhampur in Odisha, as many as 41 students of a residential Government Girls' High School at Chandrapur in Rayagada district have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two days.

As per sources, on Wednesday, August 3, a student of the school suffered from fever and was also displaying COVID symptoms. At Chandrapur hospital, an antigen test confirmed her to be positive for the virus. Suspecting that others who have come in contact with the student might have also been affected, doctors of the hospital advised COVID test for all students feeling sick with symptoms. Immediately, 12 students came forward for a test and were also found positive, stated a report in The New Indian Express.

On Thursday, August 4, a health team rushed to the school and collected samples of many students, of which, 29 girls were found to be COVID positive.

On receiving the information, administrative officials visited the school and hostel that has 300 inmates. The infected students were separated to stay in isolation and are being provided with medical treatment, said District Welfare Officer (DWO) Ashok Satpathy. "Their health condition is being monitored and they are stable," said Satpathy.

So far, swabs of 151 students residing in the hostel have been collected though all students will soon be tested, informed the DWO, adding, that the hostel and school premises are being sanitised.

Sources added that after the detection of cases, the headmistress went on leave and assistant teacher Jayanti Sabar is in charge now.

Meanwhile, Collector Swadha Dev Singh has directed the officials to conduct RT-PCR tests of the students early.