IIT-Madras COVID tally rises to 145 after 33 more test positive in campus

The cluster of COVID-19 cases detected continues to expand at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras as 33 more people tested positive taking the total to 145 confirmed cases at the campus of the 4,974 samples tested so far. 

Tamil Nadu health department said that no new variant was identified when the initial 25 samples were sent from the IIT cluster for whole genomic sequencing.

The COVID tally at the campus was 111 till Tuesday and the numbers sharply rose to 145 within a day.

For the past week, the IIT-Madras campus has seen a rise in coronavirus cases.

Tamil Nadu's health secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan has also visited the campus multiple times to ensure that preventive measures are taken to stave off the COVID uptick.

Accompanied by Chennai zonal medical officer Dr Alby, the health secretary visited the institute and advised the students on campus to wear face masks and maintain social distancing.