After treatment and testing Covid-19 negative in repeat tests, 28 students from IIT-Madras were discharged from the Government Covid Hospital in King Institute, Guindy, on Friday. The students will be quarantined at Bhadra hostel in the campus.

Speaking to reporters after visiting IIT-M and interacting with the students, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said that over 6,000 swab samples were collected from city colleges and hostels, and among them 210 samples tested positive.

The Health Department has also been conducting walk-in tests. Students, who develop any Covid-related symptoms, can visit these centres anytime. “The IIT-M cluster also included 14 workers attached to the Himalayan Mess. Testing will be conducted at colleges every 15 days to ensure no more clusters arise,” the Health Secretary added.

The State’s weekly case fatality rate, which was 0.86 per cent two weeks ago, is 1.1 per cent now. The test positivity rate remains below 2 per cent. Meanwhile, a senior doctor attached to the Government Covid Hospital at King Institute said that 187 cases from IIT-M were admitted to the hospital. “Those still receiving treatment have only mild symptoms,” he added.

Allocation of land for AIIMS
The Health Secretary said that reports based on an RTI reply that the government is yet to hand over land for construction of AIIMS in Madurai is false. “The government has handed over the land and 90 per cent of the compound wall construction is over. The JICA pre-approval funds have also been sanctioned,” he added. Meanwhile, State reported 1,134 Covid cases and 12 deaths on Friday taking the tally to 8,04,650 and toll to 11,954.