LUDHIANA: With Covid-19 cases being reported from Ludhiana schools after their reopening, the positivity rate among students and staff has increased. The case positivity rate (CPR) is the number of positive samples out of the total tested for a disease.
As per the health department data, in January—after schools reopened—the positivity rate among students and staff, including teaching and non-teaching employees, was around 1.23%. In February, it rose to around 3.1%.
The health department officials said in around 10 days of March, the rate further increased to 3.6%.
State epidemiologist Dr Rajesh Bhaskar confirmed the rise.
The data showed that from January to March 10, as many as 11,856 samples were collected from 126 schools of the district. Of these, 155 students and 104 staff members (teaching and non-teaching) tested positive.
The overall positivity rate since the start of the schools to date has been 2.18%.
A health department officer said, “The rate may go up as testing has been increased in schools. The recent figures include students and staff members of government and private schools. Majority of them are from government schools. The rate also indicates the spread of the disease in the district.”
“With the government making it clear that schools will run as per the schedule, cases will continue to come from there. If we test people in banks and markets, the positivity rate may go up to 5% to 6%. Whoever visits crowded areas frequently and that too without taking precautions, like wearing of masks, maintaining social distancing and hand hygiene, (s)he is at risk of contracting the disease,” the officer added.
This has left parents worried.
“As the cases are increasing and students are testing positive for Covid-19, the government should promote them to the next class instead of going for offline classes. Not only students, their parents too are being put at risk with the reopening of educational institutes,” said advocate K G Sharma, convener of Punjab Parents’ Association.