Uttar Pradesh: 38 schoolgirls in Lakhimpur Kheri test positive for Covid

It was the highest number of new Covid-19 cases reported in one day in one region this year.

Rakimble Carey: Thirty-eight female students at Kasturba boarding school in Mitauli block, Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh have tested positive for Covid-19 infection, a district health official said.

Lakhimpur Kheri Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Santosh Gupta said the health department turned the entire campus into a quarantine center after a staff member was also found to be Covid-positive during a contact tracing exercise on Sunday.

Gupta, who rushed a medical team to the Kasturba school, said samples from all 92 contacts of the school had been sent for testing. Of those, 38 reported positive. He added that most people who tested positive had no symptoms.

“All students and staff were told to self-isolate on campus for seven days and provided with medical kits. All students are doing well, except for two who had a cold,” the CMO said.

He added that those who were found to be Covid-positive were being kept in a separate wing on the school’s campus.

A mother and child center in Motipur has been asked to reserve 20 beds to accommodate any medical needs of students and staff on campus.

“I have personally spoken to the students and assured them that all help is available. We are closely monitoring the health situation,” Gupta said. An ambulance is also stationed at the Kasturba school in case of any emergency, he added.

He said the number of active Covid cases had risen to 41 since March 23.

On March 23, a female student at Kasturba Boarding School in Mitauli neighbourhood, tested positive for Covid-19. Then, in recent days, an elderly man from the Behjam neighborhood and another from the Mitauli neighborhood have also tested positive.

Meanwhile, Magistrate Rajinpur Keri Mahendra Bahadur Singh said all precautionary measures including provision of medical kits, disinfection etc. have been ensured. He said there was no need to panic and urged people to strictly follow Covid-19 protocols.