Amidst the ongoing Omicron scare and rising number of clusters across the state, a new cluster has emerged in Mandya as over nine girl students of the Mandya Institute of Medical Science (MIMS) tested positive for COVID-19.
Several students of the college had gone to their hometowns in Kerala and had returned to the campus on December 24. Upon testing them on arrival, they were found to be positive.
As soon as four students tested positive, 145 girl students in the same hostel, who were either primary or secondary contacts, were advised to get tested, of which five students tested positive.
According to MIMS Director Dr MR Harish, a total of nine students have tested positive so far. "All the students have been isolated in dedicated rooms on the fourth floor of the hostel. Necessary precautionary measures have been taken and the samples have also been sent for genome sequencing," he said.
MIMS authorities said that all the nine students are asymptomatic and are doing fine. "The institution is also holding mass testing for all other students and staff to contain the spread of the virus even before it explodes."