West Bengal:IIT Kharagpur reports 60 covid cases

In West Bengal, sixty persons, including 40 students and researchers residing on IIT Kharagpur's campus on Tuesday have tested positive for Covid-19. According to Tamal Nath, IIT Kharagpur's Registrar, most of those infected are mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic and either at home isolation or at isolation wards created in the prestigious engineering institution's hostels. Other than the student-researchers, 20 other infected are from non-teaching staff and faculty. Nath said the situation is under control as the hospital within the campus is monitoring the condition of those infected.
"We have been urging members of IIT Kharagpur family to get themselves tested whenever they have fever like symptoms and they are complying with our advice. This is how the number of 60 infected was known. We are not outside the world. With sudden spike in Covid cases all around, we too have to face up to the (emergent) situation," he added. He said after the institute's convocation on December 18, IIT-Kharagpur had decided to bring back students in phases to the campus after one and half year hiatus. "But with the sudden surge in Covid in the past two days, we are again postponing resumption of classes in on campus mode and sticking to online classes only," he added.

Meanwhile, as many as 83 Kolkata Police personnel have tested positive for Covid.  Of these 83, 47 are under home isolation while 16 of them have been admitted to hospital. In addition, more than 100 people, including doctors and staff in Kolkata Medical College, have also been diagnosed with Covid-19. Kolkata Medical College Hospital is one of the largest government hospitals in the city.  Meanwhile, 25 medical staff, including doctors and nurses at North Bengal Medical College and a hospital in Siliguri have also tested positive for Covid-19. All have been sent into isolation.