Over 550 students have tested positive for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh in just one month, a state health official said on Monday, October 25. As many as 556 students of various government and private schools have tested positive from September 27 to October 25, he added. The highest, 196 students, were from Hamirpur district, followed by 173 from Kangra, 104 from Una, 26 from Mandi, 22 from Shimla, 14 from Kinnaur, 8 from Kullu, 7 from Bilaspur, 4 from Solan and one each from Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti districts, he added.
Of 196 students in Hamirpur district, 35 students of Navodaya Vidyalaya at Doongri were found COVID-positive on October 8, while 15 and 12 students of the Government Senior Secondary School in Bara tested positive on October 23 and 24 respectively. As many as 250 of the total 556 students are still fighting the Coronavirus infection, while 305 students have recovered from it, he added. The schools reopened for offline classes on September 27.
As per the Health Department data, there are a total of 1,415 active COVID cases in Himachal Pradesh as of Monday (October 25) afternoon. So, over one-sixth of the total active cases in the hill state are those of students. A 13-year-old female student succumbed to the infection in Hamirpur district a few days ago, siad a Health Department spokesperson. She fell ill soon after attending a marriage function with her family, he said, adding that she later tested positive and subsequently passed away.
He urged the residents of the hill state, in general, and the students, in particular, to follow the COVID protocol of maintaining social distance, wearing masks and cleaning hands at regular intervals as the infection is not yet over. The COVID tally in the hill state has reached 2,22,644. Of them, 3,720 succumbed to the virus, while 2,17,492 have recovered.
